Fight or Flight
by Liooness
Summary: Zuko is new to Avatar High and Toph is given the duty of showing him around. She takes an interest in the mysterious senior. But Zuko is running from something. Can Toph show him how to stand up and fight, or will he flee again. High School AU. No bending
1. First Day

Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight

A/N: Thank you to both my friends, DeepAzulaEyes and AStormIsBrewing for helping me out with this and being my beta's and helping me with grammar and high school stuff. Both of you offered and you're such great friends and writers, I took you both up on it. You guys are great and thank you again. I can't say thank you enough. Oh, and Aang and Toph are 14, Katara 16, and Sokka and Zuko 17. Just to let you know.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, just my husband and three cats. )

Chapter 1

Toph waited in the secretary's office as she heard a teen enter the principal's office. Principal Long Feng was a harsh principal, but he was fair. She had heard snippets of conversation between the principal and his secretary, Joo Dee, about a new student coming in. The new student was a senior, but due to a lot of moving and missing classes, was taking a couple sophomore classes. And Toph guessed that because she was a sophomore, she would probably be sharing a lot of classes with the new guy and would be showing him around. She listened closely to the conversation between student and principal as they started talking.

"Zuko Roku, since you are new here, I wish to lay down some ground rules," Toph heard Principal Feng say. "First, there is no fighting. Period. I've heard you've had some trouble in past schools, but I need to emphasize that the first offense results in suspension, the second in termination. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the new guy said in a deep, slightly raspy voice.

"I know the transition must be hard, but you'll make due. Also, we value our property and students. A strong mind can overcome any obstacle. Now I have someone here to show you around," Principal Feng said as Toph heard him start walking to the door connecting the two offices.

Toph stood up straight after leaning against the wall and turned to the door. She smiled as she heard the door open and Principal Feng walked through the door followed by the new guy. Toph could feel the slight vibrations of their footsteps and heard the rustling of the principal's suit, as well as the new guy's jeans, t-shirt and backpack.

"This is Toph Bei Fong," Principal Feng said, the sound of movement reaching her as he gestured to Toph. "She is a remarkable young lady who has overcome her disability and is one of our outstanding students."

Toph frowned slightly at the 'disability' remark. Being blind was not a disability. It was just how she was. Toph quickly masked the frown and turned her face up towards where she could hear the new guy's breathing as Long Feng continued.

". . . Though she is a little rough around the edges," the principal concluded with a frown in his voice. "She'll be in all your classes save English and History. Toph, this is Zuko Roku, would you please show him around? His first class is English with Mr. Pakku."

"Yes, sir," Toph said with a smile before turning and heading to the door. She heard Zuko adjust his backpack over his left shoulder before he followed her out.

"Avatar High isn't so bad once you get used to it," Toph told Zuko as she started walking out. "So, you just moved here?"

"Yeah," Zuko muttered in a low voice as he followed her.

Toph nodded as she made her way to the senior English class. Her follower was silent and fidgeting slightly and she noticed many people stopping and turning towards them as they made their way through the high school.

"Why are so many people looking?" Toph asked him.

"What?" He asked, surprised. "Oh, yeah, you're blind."

Toph frowned at the blind comment, but waited.

"I have a scar on my face," Zuko muttered, his voice almost a whisper it was so low.

"Really?" Toph asked, "Is it cool? That must be sweet, having a cool scar."

"No, it's not," he replied, a frown and hint of anger in his tone.

"Ok, whatever you say," Toph said, shrugging. "Geesh, Sunshine, you're just a ray of light to this school."

She heard and felt the new guy stop and could almost feel his eyes boring into her. She stopped and turned to smirk at him. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Sunshine?" he asked. He sounded angry, almost furious, but Toph could hear something that sounded like a hint of a held back laugh in his voice.

"Yeah, all my friends get nicknames, so you're now Sunshine. Well, here's your first class, I'll be by after to get you to biology."

"I don't have any friends," he muttered in a low, dangerous voice.

"Well, you do now," Toph replied, smiling up at him before turning on her heel to head to her own English class.

XXXXX

Zuko took his seat at the back of the class, dropping his burgundy backpack onto the floor. A couple people glanced his way, but he simply glared at them, causing them to look away quickly. He tilted his head forward and let his hair fall in front of his face to shield his scar from the class. He didn't like the uncomfortable questions that went with every new school. But the girl, Toph, she was different than anyone he had met. She was blind, so couldn't see the scar, and thought it would be cool to have a scar. She was definitely weird, and if he had to share just about all his classes with her, this school would at least be interesting.

The teacher came in, elderly with long white hair and introduced himself as Mr. Pakku after introducing Zuko as the new student. Zuko just nodded his head, trying to hide his scar more for the introduction before the class went into the discussion on The Canterbury Tales.

He focused on the discussion, especially when word came that there would be a test the next week, but didn't write any notes since he had finished the story with his last school. Instead Zuko glanced around the room as Mr. Pakku asked several questions of the other students. Many posters of novels lined the walls, including Gone with the Wind, Of Mice and Men, and a poster of a mural with the poem, The Mariner, on it. The teacher was animated in his passion for the literature, gesturing as he went over several lines before he explained them in a more stoic stance.

The bell eventually rang and Zuko waited until everyone else filed out of the room before he picked up his backpack and made his way out. Just as he reached the front of the room, he saw Toph's head pop in. She turned towards him and smiled.

"Thought you were going to ditch me for a second. C'mon, it's on the other side of the school and we have three minutes."

With that, she turned and hurried away. Zuko lengthened his stride until he was behind her and followed her through the long hallways. As they hurried onto the next class, he studied her. She was short, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder, but she held herself tall and proud. Her black hair was tied up into a bun with a green headband holding it back and her long bangs fell in front of her face, shielding her eyes. She wore loose jeans and had a loose green t-shirt on with an empty looking green backpack slung over her right shoulder. He wondered how she knew where she was going and how she obviously missed running into people and objects as she expertly dodged around a group of freshmen.

"You can ask later, if I can ask you something," she said suddenly as she turned a corner.

Zuko glared at her before realizing that it wouldn't work with her. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, scowling.

"You're wondering how I get around," Toph said, shrugging. "Don't worry, everyone does, but I only give info out when I can get some back in return. Here it is, c'mon."

A strong smell hit Zuko as he turned to go into the classroom, and he wrinkled his nose as he saw a tub filled with green things up in front. He reluctantly followed Toph into the class and found it was a lab setup. A dozen long tables with sinks were set up in the class and Zuko saw that all were crowded save the one Toph went to. A boy about Toph's age was there, with short black hair, grey eyes and a goofy smile. Toph turned back towards Zuko and motioned with her hand for him to follow her. Sighing resignation, he went to her table and sat as far away from the two as he could. Unfortunately, that was one chair between him and the blind girl.

"Hi!" The boy said enthusiastically, waving his hand at Zuko. "I'm Aang."

"Oh, Twinkles, this is Zuko," Toph said, gesturing to Zuko. "Sunshine, Aang."

"He has a nickname already?" Aang asked cheerfully.

Zuko wanted to pound his head into the table at the constant cheerfulness of the kid, but with great restraint, held himself back and merely frowned.

"Yep," Toph said smugly. "Remember, Twinkle Toes, you got yours on the first day too."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Aang said, rubbing the back of his head and blushing slightly.

Zuko was curious about the kid and Toph's nickname for him, but brushed it aside. It didn't matter to him and he'd probably be moving in a few months anyways. A grey haired woman came up to their table and smiled at Toph and Aang before turning to study Zuko.

"Zuko Roku, I presume?" She asked gently.

"Yes, ma'am," Zuko replied.

She nodded. "I'm Dr. Yugoda. I hope you enjoy biology. Since there isn't any other spot available, I'll have you paired with Toph and Aang for labs." She smiled once more at him before turning towards the front of class and began speaking in a louder voice as she made her way to her desk in front of the class. "As most of you know, today is dissection. We are studying amphibians, so one person is to come up and get your materials, scalpels, and frog. I want the frog dissected and labeled by the end of the hour. If you have any questions, I'll be making my way around the room. Start."

Aang bounded up and headed to the front of the room as Toph cleared the boy's stuff off to the side. She kicked her backpack under the table and waited anxiously for Aang to get back. Zuko watched her carefully as Aang returned and set the tray holding the dead frog belly up in front of her and then set out the tools and pins around the frog in almost a dining table setting. Then the boy moved to the far edge and took out his notebook.

"I'm a vegetarian. Can't stand killing or any of that stuff," Aang said, obviously seeing Zuko scrutinizing his behavior. "So Toph does the dissection and I take notes."

"And I love getting my hands dirty," Toph said as she cracked her knuckles. "Ok, Twinkles, where do I start?"

"How can you? You're blind!" Zuko asked, incredulous as she picked up a scalpel.

Toph turned her face to him and her expression was as if she were studying him. Her expression hardened for a second before a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Twinkles directs me where to cut, but he doesn't like it. If you want to help…."

"Fine," Zuko growled. He moved to take the scalpel from her, but she held on with an iron grip.

"I said help, not do my job. Now put the scalpel where I need to start and we'll go from there," Toph said with a smirk.

Zuko almost let a sigh out, but instead frowned at her and moved her hand to the throat of the frog, positioning the scalpel perfectly. Aang started saying instructions, and Toph started the dissection. As she neared the end of the cut, Aang told her when to stop and then proceeded onto the next cut. Zuko again positioned her hand and scalpel and soon was into the dissection. Once all the incisions were made, Zuko pinned the skin back and then watched as Toph put two fingers into the frog as Aang called out for organs to be found and labeled. Helping label the organs with pins that Aang had prepared, Zuko wondered about the pair. They were both odd, and complete opposites, but worked well together. They knew their strengths and weaknesses and helped each other.

"Yuck. Toph, is it a boy or girl?" Aang asked, sticking his tongue out at the directions for determining sex.

"Girl," Toph stated confidently. "Sunshine, here's the ovary."

Zuko growled at the nickname she seemed to love and quickly wrote the label on an unmarked pin and stuck it into the yellowish tissue. Toph just smiled and called out for other things to be pinned before setting the unused pins aside. Aang got up and took the scalpels and pins to the sink to be cleaned as Dr. Yugoda approached the table.

"Well done, Toph," the teacher said with obvious pride. The elderly woman turned to study Zuko. "And did your new classmate help as well?" the doctor asked Toph.

"Oh yeah, he's better than Aang in this area. He helped out tons," Toph said, smiling at Zuko.

Zuko frowned at the blind girl, but tried not to make it look too menacing to the teacher before Dr. Yugoda turned to him and handed him a packet of papers.

"Zuko, I know this is your first day, but we're going to be having a test this Friday on the anatomy of the frog and basic taxonomy. This is what will be covered. If you need any help, come see me, or talk to Toph."

Zuko took the packet and began glancing through it as the teacher headed off to another table. The 'basic' taxonomy covered everything from plants to mammals, from phylum to family in some areas. He sighed as he put the packet into his backpack.

"So, how'd you get your scar?" Toph asked in a low voice as Aang took the frog away.

Zuko glared at the blind girl and kept silent. She waited, but then frowned slightly.

"Ok, so maybe not that info. Hmm, let me tell you something about me and maybe that'll help," Toph said, looking like she was deep in thought. "I get around because I can feel vibrations of people and objects. I also hear really well, can feel air moving around me and that kind of stuff. You just moved here, right?"

"Yeah, you already asked that," Zuko replied in a low voice. He knew she was looking for information on him, and he was reluctant to give any, especially to a girl he had just met.

"Is it your dad or your uncle you're living with?" she asked.

"Wait, how would you know that?" Zuko asked her, narrowing his eyes as he studied her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled slyly. "I live across the street from you. I heard you and him move in on Saturday. Now tell."

"Uncle," he replied. He was watching Aang, hoping the boy would come back soon to stop the conversation, but the boy was talking with another table that had already cleaned up.

"That's cool. Where's your dad?" Toph asked.

Zuko just glared at her, pulled out his backpack, and started flipping through the papers the biology teacher had just handed him.

"Fine, give me the silent treatment," Toph sighed before smirking at him. "But just to let you know, I mastered the silent treatment. I'll wait. What are you looking at?"

Zuko glanced at her and saw she was curious. "The papers the teacher just handed me. She said you could help. How? And how are you good at that stuff anyways? It all felt the same."

"Ah curious aren't we?" Toph asked with a smile. "I have models at home, and the organs feel a little different. It took a while, but I've gotten better. I can help you with the taxonomy too."

"Let me think about it," Zuko said. The bell rang and Toph grabbed her backpack and started heading out of the door.

"Math's next. C'mon, Sunshine."

Zuko growled again, slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed Toph out of the room and to the next class.

XXXXX

Toph sat back and listened to Mr. Mechanist as he droned on about the wonderful world of Algebra 2. She heard Zuko and all the other students, a mix of students from sophomores to seniors, scribbling as fast as they could to copy the formulas the teacher was writing on the board. Toph soaked the little nuances up that the teacher said, but knew the math already. What she was really interested in was the new guy.

Zuko had a 'bad boy,' 'I don't care about anyone or anything' attitude, but she could tell it was only on the surface. She knew he was hiding something, but didn't know what. She was the same way. Toph knew she couldn't bug information out of him like she had with Aang and Katara, but she could wait like she had done with Sokka. The best thing Zuko needed was someone to help and listen, and she planned on doing just that. She heard Zuko moving behind her and smelled a little bit of the preservatives used on the frogs as he leaned towards her.

"Don't you do anything in this class?" Zuko hissed to her from behind her.

"Just listen," Toph whispered back.

She heard him sigh and then the scribbling of his pencil continued. All too soon the bell rang and Toph hurried to chemistry with Zuko on her tail. Unfortunately, chemistry was one of the two subjects she didn't like. She sat in her normal seat in the back and took out her recorder, laying it on her desk. She smelled the familiar scent of burnt chemicals as soon as she had entered the class and heard Zuko take the empty seat on her right and turn towards her.

"It's a recorder," Toph said to him. "I don't do as well with physical sciences, so I need to listen to the lectures a few times."

Zuko grunted something that sounded like whatever and then the sound of him pulling out paper and pencil followed. Toph concentrated on the lecture, focusing on the elemental names as Mrs. Hama started with the basic elements and then went onto pairings like H2O and CO2 and how they were connected. Near the end of the lecture, Toph noticed Zuko had stopped writing and was just listening. She wanted to ask him, but waited until the bell rang before she stopped the recorder and slipped it into her backpack.

"Lunch is this way," Toph told Zuko as they started heading out of the classroom. "Why'd you stop writing back there?"

"I know chemistry pretty well," Zuko replied in an even tone. "I just didn't finish it. Two schools ago."

Zuko sighed. Toph dropped back and punched him lightly on the arm.

"What was that for?!" he asked, anger in his tone. It also sounded like he was rubbing the spot she had punched.

"Stop being depressed. And that's how I show affection. I'm starving, so hurry it up!"

Toph picked up her pace again and heard Zuko lengthen his stride to keep up with her. She smelled the pizza long before they reached the cafeteria and picked up her pace even more. Soon they were in the cafeteria and she pulled her lunch card out of her pocket and picked up a slice of pizza before heading towards her regular table. She felt Zuko stop and stare at where she was going and before he could move away, she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her.

"I'd rather sit alone," he growled to her, trying to pull his arm free of her.

"No way," she said as she pulled him to her table. "I'm here to show you around and help you adjust, so that's what I'm doing. Sit."

XXXXX

Zuko glared at Toph as she told him to sit. There were three people already sitting at the table. Aang, and two others, a boy Zuko's age with brown hair and blue eyes and a girl a year younger with the same appearance, though much prettier. Both were wearing blue jeans, and the girl had a navy baby doll top on while the boy had a white t-shirt. Zuko assumed the two were siblings, and started to back away, but Toph sat next to the girl and pulled Zuko's arm down so that he was forced to sit next to the blind girl and across from Aang. The only fortunate thing about the encounter was that his scar was facing away from the group. Aang smiled at Zuko, but continued eating while the older pair looked from Zuko to Toph and back again.

"This is Zuko, he's new," Toph said, gesturing to Zuko before pointing towards the boy. "That's Sokka, I call him Snoozles."

Sokka rolled his eyes, sighing before smiling and turning back to Zuko.

"Nice to meet you," Sokka said, holding his hand out.

"Yeah, sure," Zuko muttered.

The teen withdrew his hand and frowned at Zuko before sighing again and starting on his sandwich. The blue-eyed girl started glaring at Zuko.

"And this is Katara, who I call Sweetness," Toph said, gesturing to the blue eyed girl.

"You need to learn some manners," was all the girl said before she started on her own sandwich.

"Easy, Sugar Queen. He's like me in that, remember?" Toph asked Katara.

"How could we forget, Toph?" Sokka asked, starting to laugh. "You came in, loud, rowdy, and out of control. And you took us along for the ride!"

"Yeah, but it was fun," Aang said. "And now we're all best friends."

Zuko glanced at the group discreetly through his hair as he ate his pizza in silence. They were a motley crew, each moredifferent than the last, but held together by something he hadn't experienced in a long time. Trust and friendship. The scarred teen turned back to his food in silence and just watched the group out of the corner of his eye, either ignoring questions directed at him or giving a one word answer.

The group finished and started talking about upcoming tests and general gossip. Zuko was about to grab his bag and head out of the cafeteria just to get some space and air when a senior with spiky brown hair and brown eyes sauntered over and slid next to Katara. The chain reaction almost pushed Zuko off the bench of the table and he turned to glare at the newcomer.

"Whoa, Katara, better control your dogs. Both of them," the senior said, smirking at Toph before turning to smirk at Zuko. He stopped and stared as he noticed Zuko's scar and Zuko noticed that Toph had tensed up next to him and it looked like she was glaring at the senior as well.

"Get lost, Jet," Katara said, pushing Jet off of the bench. "And control your hormones. I don't control my friends. That's why they are friends."

Jet frowned at Katara before trying to smile sweetly at her, but at that moment, Katara got up and headed out of the room. The rest of the table stood up as well, Aang and Sokka frowning at Jet as Toph stepped over the bench and poked Jet in the chest.

"Leave her alone Jet, or you'll deal with all of us," the blind girl told the senior.

Jet frowned down at Toph in a mocking way before he lifted his eyes and met Zuko's glare. Fear flashed through Jet's brown eyes for a second before he turned and left. As soon as Jet left, Zuko noticed that the entire cafeteria had been silent, but now conversation was striking up again. Zuko picked up his backpack and quickly left the cafeteria, just trying to be alone. However, his personal guide had other ideas.

"Sunshine, wait up!" Toph called from the cafeteria doors as he walked through the empty hallways.

"Leave me alone," Zuko growled back to the girl.

"Only if you really want to be," Toph said as she caught up with him.

He looked at her, puzzled, but shrugged it off and continued walking.

"I didn't know Jet could be intimidated that easily. You must have one impressive look. And just so you know, your history class is the other way," Toph stated, walking beside him easily.

Zuko rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned around, scowling at Toph's little superior smile.

"Thanks, by the way. Jet's a real pain. He's Katara's ex, but still thinks she cares. Here it is, senior European history with Mr. Zhou," Toph said as she stopped next to room 90.

"Guy's a jerk," Sokka said, coming from behind Zuko. "Mr. Zhou thinks he's all that. And so does that jerk, Jet. Hey Toph, why can't that be his nickname?"

"Because the one I have for him I can't say in public," Toph smirked.

"Burn," Sokka said with a smile before he turned to Zuko. "Thanks for saving my little sister. Although I know she doesn't appreciate it. C'mon, Zhou's a real stickler for being on time."

"I'll see you guys in gym," Toph called as she turned and walked away.

"See ya, Toph!" Sokka called, waving to the blind girl. He then glanced at Zuko and walked into the classroom.

Zuko followed the blue eyed teen into the class and sat in the back next to Sokka. Soon the class was full, but silent as they waited for the teacher. Mr. Zhou came in from his office, large sideburns on his large, round face and sneered down his nose at Zuko when he saw him. After introducing Zuko as a new student, the class started with Roman history and went from there.

Zuko knew he didn't like Zhou, but history was his best subject, so he just focused on the discussion and the notice that there would be a test the next week. The class groaned discreetly over that news and Sokka made a face when Zhou's back was turned. Zuko almost smiled at that, but kept his face emotionless as Zhou turned back to the class. When the bell rang, the class cleared out faster than any other class Zuko had seen. Sokka motioned for the scarred teen to follow him to the boy's locker room and they got ready for gym.

"Aren't you a senior?" Zuko asked as he and Sokka made their way out onto the field.

"Ah, he speaks," Sokka said, grinning at Zuko to which Zuko frowned back. "Yeah, I'm a senior. So what?"

"You're taking gym with a sophomore?" Zuko asked.

"Oh, you mean Toph," Sokka said as they both saw Toph making her way to them in the school colors of a green t-shirt and black shorts. "All classes take gym together. Feng made it so that we have to take a gym class every year. It's supposed to 'bring the classes together and create unity'."

Sokka hooked his fingers into quotation marks and rolled his eyes at the end.

"Or some b.s. like that," Toph said, smirking as she reached them. "Sunshine, Twinkle Toes and I are going to study at my place for the biology test. You can join us if you want. It'll be at four."

"Probably not," Zuko said, frowning at her.

She shrugged as a white haired man with a scar over his right eye blew a whistle. Both Toph and Sokka hurried over to the instructor and Zuko walked quickly to join them. Zuko watched Mr. Jeong as the instructor studied him while stating that they would be playing soccer. Mr. Jeong smiled at Zuko as he noticed the scarred teen studying him before splitting the class up into teams. There were enough for three teams so the teams cycled every fifteen minutes.

Zuko watched as Toph played striker, brutally charging through her opponents with the ball and crossing it. Whenever it was crossed towards her, she stepped back and let another sophomore take the kick.

"She can't see the ball in the air," Sokka remarked, seeing Zuko confused about how passive the blind girl was when the ball was flying towards her. "She can't see like we can, but in other ways, we're the blind ones."

Zuko glanced over at Sokka and saw the teen deep in thought. Sorrow was all over the blue-eyed teens' face.

"Toph's been my best friend since she started going to school in her sixth grade year, my eighth grade year. And last year, she really helped me when my girlfriend was killed in a car accident," Sokka said slowly, emotion lining his voice. Zuko just continued to watch him, feeling a familiar pang in his chest. "Toph was there for me, and just being there helped me a lot," Sokka continued. "She's really good at waiting till you're ready and then listening."

Zuko turned to stare at his hands and saw the small scars on them. They were now dark, healed by doctors and time, but the memories remained.

"We all have problems," Sokka said, noticing Zuko staring at his hands, the teen's fingers tracing the old scars absently. "And Toph's really good at picking us out because of that. But she doesn't let many people in. Just give her a chance, she's a good kid who wants to help."

Zuko nodded once, but before either could say anything, Mr. Jeong called for Sokka and Zuko's team to face off against Toph's team. Toph smirked as she stood against Sokka as the blue eyed teen went as striker on Toph's side. Zuko was behind Sokka as left defender. Toph brought her head up and grinned at Zuko as her team kicked off. Immediately the ball was passed to her and she came blazing down the side of the field.

Sokka tried to stop her, but she was already past him. Soon she was past the junior midfielder and then it was her and Zuko. Zuko looked at her style and jogged to meet her, kicking out and causing her to go around, but quickly he was running alongside her, keeping her as far out as possible.

"Ooh, Sunshine's got moves," Toph teased as they neared the eighteen yard mark.

Zuko remained silent, and when Toph tried to move in, Zuko got between her and the goal, slowing her and keeping her from crossing the ball effectively.

"It's going to take some fancy footwork to get the ball away from me," Toph smirked.

"Really?" Zuko asked.

Toph looked shocked for a second and Zuko dove one foot in, grabbed the ball and pulled it behind him and then to his right and up the field. He let a corner of his mouth rise to a smirk as he started running down the field, pursued by Toph. The blind girl was surprisingly fast and before she caught him, he booted the ball up to Sokka. Both he and Toph came to a stop at the halfway line and Toph punched him in the arm.

"Nice moves there, Sunshine. Bet they'd love you for the soccer team," Toph said as she got her breath back.

"Can't," Zuko replied as he watched Sokka take the ball in towards the goal. "I move every few months, so no commitments. Why aren't you on the team?"

"They won't take a blind girl," Toph answered simply.

Sokka scored and they separated to start play again. Zuko actually enjoyed himself for the rest of gym. He enjoyed moving his muscles and facing off against the fast blind girl, but all too soon, it was over. After changing, Zuko started walking home and arrived to his uncle making tea.

"So how was your first day at your new school?" Iroh asked his nephew as Zuko walked in the door.

"Crazy, but I think I'll like it here," Zuko said as he made his way to his room to flop onto his bed.

A/N: And don't forget to review!


	2. Walking and Parents

A/N: Thanks for waiting and again a huge thank you to DeepAzulaEyes and AStormIsBrewing

A/N: Thanks for waiting and again a huge thank you to DeepAzulaEyes and AStormIsBrewing. Thank you everyone who read and reviewed, and I'm hoping to update this story once a week. I'll alternate between my two stories, but I'll keep it going, don't worry. Thank you again and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Avatar or anything else I might reference.

Chapter 2

After a minute, Zuko got up and started pulling his homework out. This new school was going to be brutal, but he knew he had to do it. It was his first day and already he was looking at one test that week and two the following. Sighing, he pulled out the packet of biology and started going through it. He quickly became lost in the taxonomy and glanced at his alarm clock. It was 3:50, and Toph had mentioned she and Aang would be studying at four. Iroh came into Zuko's room at that moment, carrying two cups of tea. The wizened man set one cup onto Zuko's desk and studied the scarred teen.

"That young lady from across the street called," Iroh said as he sat in the chair at the desk. "She was offering her study group again."

Zuko just sighed and flipped another page, trying to find a way to remember the taxonomy.

"I believe Toph would be a good influence on you Nephew," Iroh stated.

Zuko turned to frown at his uncle, and saw the older man smiling at the reaction he had gotten.

"And how do you know her?" Zuko asked.

"She came over Sunday to give her greetings. You were unpacking your room still," Iroh said between sips of tea. "Such a sweet girl, but those large bangs hide her beautiful face. I wonder how she sees."

"She's blind," Zuko said quietly and Iroh was immediately silent. Zuko looked at the packet of biology and with a low growl, stuffed them into his backpack and got up off the bed.

"I'm going over to her house," Zuko said as Iroh looked up at him, questioning the youth with his expression. "I don't know when I'll be back."

"Very good," Iroh said with a smile. "Just call if you're staying there for dinner."

The older man rose and took both teacups out of the room as Zuko grabbed his cell phone and backpack. He stopped in front of the small mirror on the wall and glanced at his features. His scraggly black hair went almost to his shoulders and fell in front of his face, shielding his scar. The scar was still an ugly red, even darker around his left, half closed eye and extended from his eye back to his ear. His golden eyes quickly moved away from his scar to his rumpled jeans and red t-shirt, but he didn't care about the state of his clothes. Shrugging his backpack higher onto his shoulder, he moved away from the mirror and headed out of the house and across the street.

Only when he was halfway across the street did he notice that he had never asked which of the three houses he was looking at was Toph's. Thankfully, he saw Aang coming from down the street and making his way over the lawns to the largest, most center house.

"Great!" Aang said when he spotted Zuko. "I didn't think you would come, but Toph said you would. C'mon, I bet Fong made cookies."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the cheerful kid, but followed the sophomore in silence to two massive oak doors. Each one had a flying boar insignia carved into the wood above the knockers. Aang lifted one knocker and rapped it twice and almost immediately Toph was there, opening the door.

"Hey Twinkles, Sunshine. This way," Toph said, turning and leading the way. "Oh and Fong made oatmeal cookies."

Zuko sighed as Aang became more cheerful, something the scarred teen didn't think possible, and followed the blind girl into the house. As the last to enter, Zuko closed the door behind him before following Aang and Toph through what seemed to be a huge mansion on the inside to a large, comfortable looking living room. Glancing around, Zuko saw several Chinese paintings and hangings placed perfectly around the room as well as antique vases, but Toph led them to a low oak table surrounded by comfortable looking suede couches from which she had obviously taken many of the cushions to surround the table. Several models were on the table and when Zuko dropped his backpack onto the floor and sat on one of the cushions, he found they were accurate, anatomically correct models of a frog, fish and shark with removable parts.

"She has great models," Aang whispered to Zuko as the younger boy sat down. "Her dad buys her all these to make sure she gets good grades."

"And because I asked for them," Toph said, sitting across the table from both boys.

"Here are the cookies and drinks, Miss Toph," a brown haired man said as he came into the room. "Would there be anything else?"

Zuko studied the man as he placed the drinks on the table. The man was probably in his mid forties, tall and slim with brown hair bound in a braid that fell to his mid back. He had brown eyes that showed kindness and some wisdom, but something about the man told Zuko he wasn't the brightest. It was probably the thin, long mustache hanging from the man's lip.

"No thanks Fong," Toph said before grabbing a cookie. The man inclined his head and left through the door he had come through.

"He's a servant," Toph stated as Zuko continued to watch the man until he disappeared. "My dad hired him so he could be here whenever I was home and my parents weren't."

"And he makes great cookies!" Aang said as he grabbed his third cookie.

"Slow down Twinkles," Toph said with a smile, "and let's start. Ok, shark first."

Zuko pulled out a notebook and took some notes as they went over the anatomy of the shark. An hour passed easily as Toph told and showed Aang and Zuko the different organs and what they did before quizzing the two on organs she randomly picked out. Aang's cell phone started ringing right before they moved onto the fish and Aang bounded out of the room. Zuko watched Toph as she stopped and listened to Aang in the other room.

"Yeah, I'll be right there. I'm sorry Gyatso," Aang said before he came back into the living room. "I gotta go," Aang said, looking embarrassed. "I forgot about the museum with Gyatso. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"See ya Twinkles," Toph said as Aang grabbed his backpack and rushed out of the room and house.

Zuko glanced at Toph as she moved onto the fish and started pulling the skin piece off to show the organ models.

"Gyatso's his adopted dad," Toph said. "He's an archeologist, I think. Ok, onto the fish, the organs are the same, just a little different looking."

Zuko nodded and started paying attention as Toph went over the organs. The fish went faster and the frog even faster than that since the organs were the same for the most part. They were just shaped and placed slightly differently.

"I think you're getting the hang of this Sunshine," Toph said, smiling as Zuko easily named off the organs Toph pointed too.

"It's not as hard when I'm being pushed by you," Zuko replied with a small smirk.

Toph looked startled before smiling. She was about to comment when they heard a feminine voice coming from deeper in the house. A beautiful woman with pale skin, black hair done up beautifully, and green eyes came into the room. She was wearing a stylish cream dress and smiled at Zuko before turning a radiant smile onto Toph.

"Hello dear, how was your day?" she asked the blind girl.

"Good Mom," Toph said as she rose to hug her mother in greeting. "This is Zuko. He just moved in across the street and started school today."

"And you're helping him with biology," Toph's mom said with a knowing smile before turning to Zuko. "I'm Jasmine, but you can call me Mrs. Bei Fong. All Toph's friends call me that. I'm sorry I haven't been over to give my greetings to your family, but Toph's father and I are very busy."

"It's ok," Zuko said. "My uncle stays busy and understands. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you," Jasmine said. "I have some work to do, but if you kids need anything, just call Fong. Toph, remember your lesson with Master Fu at six. Zuko, if you would like, you can join us for dinner."

"I don't think so, but thank you," Zuko replied, seeing Toph rolling her eyes.

Jasmine nodded before heading out of the room.

"You actually have manners. That's good to know," Toph said as she sat again.

"Apparently, you do too," Zuko replied, frowning. "You ever see your parents?"

Toph looked surprised that he had actually asked her a question before she started frowning. "Barely," she said. "My mom's a fashion designer, so she's gone a lot, and my dad runs her business and a lot of others. So I see him even less."

Zuko nodded as Toph turned silent. "Sometimes I'd rather not see the old man," Toph muttered.

"That I can understand," Zuko replied. He glanced at his phone and saw it was almost six. "Maybe I should go…"

He grabbed his backpack and started gathering his notes and papers to push into it.

"I have my training now anyways. You want to watch? Or join?" Toph asked, going back to her normal, almost sarcastic expression.

"What?" Zuko asked.

"I study Hung Gar. You study martial arts too, right?" Toph asked as she got up and stared heading into a side hallway. She glanced back at him before disappearing.

"How…?" Zuko started before sighing and frowning at the blind girl. "Shaolin."

"Really? Come on, I want to at least show this to you," she said, starting to grin before she disappeared into the hallway. She peaked her head back out into the hallway and frowned at Zuko. "Coming Sunshine?"

With a sigh, Zuko got up and followed her. Toph led him down the hallway to the room at the end which turned out to be a beautiful dojo. Wood panels lined two walls while mirrors lined the other two. Several punching bags, mats and wooden staves lined the wooden walls. One large punching bag hung from the roof near the far corner.

"Another student Toph?" a man asked, coming into the room from a sliding wood panel.

"Nah, he studies Shaolin," Toph said. "I just wanted to show him the dojo. I'll be right back."

Toph disappeared back into the hallway behind Zuko as Zuko and the man studied each other. This man was tall and broad shouldered. He was very muscular with a simple vest showing his tan chest. He had dark green eyes and dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders neatly.

"Shaolin is a dangerous art," the man said as he studied Zuko.

"I know," Zuko replied, narrowing his eyes at the man.

XXXXX

Toph quickly changed into her training clothes. Just some comfortable shorts and another t-shirt, but she liked training in them. Hurrying back to the dojo, she found Zuko and Xin Fu looking at each other, tense and waiting for anything. She smirked as she thought about how Zuko sure knew how to rub the wrong way on a lot of people.

"Ok Xin Fu, I'm ready," Toph said as she moved around Zuko who was still partially in the doorway.

"Maybe I should go," Zuko said again starting to turn to leave.

"You can stay," Toph said as she moved into her position to start warming up.

"Yes, stay," Xin Fu stated. "I'm sure you've never witnessed Hung Guar and might find it appealing. And Toph, you are to address me as Master Fu. How many times must I say it?"

Toph smiled as she thought about the last time she had called him 'master' the year before. That was the first day she had been able to pin her teacher. "I told you, when you beat me again," Toph replied.

She started the warm up exercises and noticed that Zuko had remained and was even relaxing a little. Xin Fu watched her, occasionally fidgeting as if he were glancing at Zuko. Toph wondered what scheme her teacher had in mind, but instead focused on the exercises. When she finished, she waited for Xin Fu to come and spar with her, but he stood back.

"Zuko, perhaps you could show me a demonstration of Shaolin," Xin Fu said smugly. "I'm sure Toph wouldn't mind sparring against someone else."

"No," Zuko said simply, a hard edge to his tone. "It's too dangerous."

"But surely you have control," Xin Fu said, starting to needle his way in.

Toph knew from only one day of knowing Zuko that this approach would just cause the new guy to retreat. So she had another idea.

"No, he doesn't have to," Toph said, smiling at Zuko. "C'mon Xin Fu, let's see if you have any tricks up your sleeves today."

She heard Zuko's breathing even out as he stood at the doorway and Xin Fu gave an exasperated grunt before approaching Toph. She stood ready and soon Xin Fu attacked. Toph parried easily, using her teachers' strength and size against him as she practically stayed in one spot. After the fifth time she had flipped Xin Fu onto his back and pinned the teacher, Xin Fu called it a night.

"You're pretty good," Zuko said after Xin Fu had left and she grabbed a towel.

"I'd like to see you in action," Toph said with a smirk and she felt him stiffen, "Someday."

She felt and heard him relax before he tensed up again, but not as bad, as he moved to look at something.

"It's late, I'm gonna go."

"K, I'll see you tomorrow," Toph said as she followed him back to the living room. "You walk to school?"

"Yeah," Zuko muttered as he stuffed his papers into his backpack. "Why?"

"Then I'll meet you at 8 to walk to school," Toph said with a smirk. Her smirk widened as she heard Zuko sigh, almost in frustration.

"Fine," he said. "Night."

"Goodnight," Toph said as Fong came to show Zuko out. Once she was sure he had left, she went to her room with a smile on her face. Zuko was coming out slowly, she just had to give him more time. After all, it had been only one day.

XXXXX

Zuko woke to the dawn light coming in through a slit in his curtains. He glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was 6 am. Sighing, he rolled over, but knew it would be pointless. He had always been an early riser, and without anything better to do, he got up and headed into the garage where his uncle had set up a punching bag. There he practiced for over an hour until he heard Iroh in the kitchen. After a quick shower, Zuko stopped in the kitchen for a bowl of cereal and found his uncle brewing a pot of tea.

"Another beautiful morning," Iroh said as he poured himself a cup of tea.

Zuko just glanced at his portly uncle and frowned before going back to his cereal. Iroh was dressed simply in slacks and a golf shirt and gazing out the kitchen window while he sipped his tea.

"How about some tea, Nephew?" Iroh asked, turning to Zuko.

"No," Zuko said simply, grabbing his backpack and heading towards the door.

"Have a good day at school," Iroh called before Zuko shut the door behind him.

Zuko took a deep breath once he was outside and saw Toph coming towards him. She smiled at him before falling in alongside of him.

"Why don't you drive?" Toph asked suddenly.

"Don't have a license," Zuko replied, hoping he wasn't in for a long interrogation by the blind girl. He decided to take the advantage. "You always walk to school?"

"Nope," Toph said. "Fong drives me. But since you're walking, I talked Mom and Fong into it. They don't like me walking unless I'm with a group of people."

"It's just us though."

"And that's enough for Fong," Toph said with a smile.

Zuko let out a small sigh as he raked a hand through his hair. Thankfully Toph was silent for most of the short walk. The high school was only a half mile from his house and Toph departed once they were inside to head to her own English class. Zuko found Toph waiting outside his English class afterwards to head to Biology.

"You know you don't have to pick me up," Zuko said, scowling at the blind girl.

"It's on the way," she said as they walked to biology. "And cool the tough guy attitude. I mastered it, so it doesn't work on me."

"Yeah, right," Zuko replied.

Toph just smiled as they reached biology. The class was a lecture and the rest of the day actually went smoothly. Jet didn't bother their table at lunch and Katara was actually moderately nice to Zuko. After school, Toph seemed almost happy as she walked home with Zuko.

"So, you coming over?" she asked him as they turned into their neighborhood. "Taxonomy tonight."

"Aang going to be there?" Zuko asked as he glanced around. He saw one of the neighbors glance his way and smile at him before taking a trash bin to the backyard.

"Nope, he's studying with Sweetness tonight. It's just us," Toph said as she smiled up at Zuko sweetly. Zuko just frowned at Toph and she took the silence in good nature before dropping her head to hide her face with her bangs.

"Is it just me, or are there people watching us," Toph whispered as they walked on.

"They're watching me," Zuko muttered back darkly. "It's the only way I can walk to school."

"Really?" Toph asked, intrigued. "Why?"

Zuko glared at her, but she only kept a small smile on her face as they continued to walk on.

"It's all right," she said with a smile as they turned onto their street. "You don't have to tell me. C'mon, taxonomy tonight!"

Zuko raked a hand through his hair, almost face palming himself at Toph's sudden cheerfulness, but he sighed and followed her to her house after texting his uncle to tell him where he would be. Fong greeted them and soon Toph was teaching him how to memorize the taxonomy.

"What, no 'lesson' tonight?" Zuko asked as they moved onto the animals. He had looked at his cell phone to see when he should head home and saw that it was already past 6.

"No," Toph smirked. "That's only Monday and Friday. You seem surprised I still take them."

"I wonder who's teaching who," Zuko muttered under his breath.

He knew Toph had heard when she smiled broadly. That smile instantly changed to a frown as Zuko heard a door in the back open up. Confident footsteps sounded followed by an older male voice.

"Good evening Fong," the man said. "Where is my daughter?"

"The living room sir," Fong replied. "Along with a class mate."

"Oh, it will be good to see Aang ag…" the man said as he walked into the room and Zuko met the man's green eyes. Zuko studied the man. He seemed confident, in his mid forties, successful and displeased to find Zuko there.

"And you are…?" the man asked, appraising Zuko and looking down his nose at the scarred teen.

"Dad," Toph said in an even tone as she rose. "This is Zuko. He moved in across the street and I'm helping him with biology. Zuko, this is my dad…

"Lao Bei Fong," Toph's father interrupted, continuing to frown down at Zuko as the teen frowned up at Lao. "Where did you move from?"

"Far away," Zuko replied, trying not to growl or glare at the man.

Lao's eyes moved and Zuko was sure he was looking at his scar. Zuko narrowed his eyes at Lao as a spark of recognition came into the man's eyes.

"I believe I've heard of you. Make sure to keep your troubles away from my daughter. Understood?"

"Yeah," Zuko said and watched the man as Lao turned and headed further into the house. Once the man was gone, Zuko started stuffing his backpack with his notes.

Toph sighed and sat again. "Sorry about the old man, he's a bit rough. Hey, you ok?"

"No," Zuko replied shortly. He looked up and saw concern on the blind girl's face. "Don't worry about it. We covered a lot. Maybe start again tomorrow?"

Toph looked hurt for a fraction of a second before she smiled. "Yeah, it's a lot of stuff to digest."

She waited until Zuko had closed his backpack and got up before she led the way to the front door. Opening the door, Toph held it just closed enough so Zuko couldn't get through.

"Look," she said as she ducked her head so that her bangs hid her face. "I don't know what your troubles are, but if you need to talk, just give me a call. And ignore my father. He's overprotective and sometimes I'd wager he could go for worst father of the year."

Zuko almost smiled along with her for a second as she brought her face up at the end. "It's ok, I'm used to it," Zuko replied. "And your father wouldn't win that. Mine would. Night Toph."

Toph gave him a questioning gaze, but opened the door and let him pass. He turned to look back at her and saw her waving to him. He let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth and headed home to his uncle, dinner and tea.


	3. Rollercoaster

A/N: Thank you again to my beta's, Astromisbrewinga nd DeepAzulaEyes, You guys are great and thank you again. Sorry that this is later than I wanted to post. I went home for the weekend, and limited internet access. You guys understand. So, here's the next chapter and don't forget to review! Thank You!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar or Transformers

Chapter 3

Toph observed Zuko in her own way after that night. His mood was lighter, but there was still a wariness to him. He still acted tough and untouchable, but started letting his guard down slowly when they were studying alone. She was glad her father didn't make an appearance again and was sure it would either come to blows or Zuko would storm out of their study sessions if Lao did appear again. Zuko became more confident about biology and hanging out with the gang, but it was only a week. Friday came all too soon for Toph and as she walked to school with Zuko, they quizzed each other on biology.

"What are endotherms?" Toph asked Zuko.

"Toph, we've been over this a million times," Zuko sighed. "And that probably won't even be on the test."

"But it might be," Toph replied, smirking. "Come on, answer."

"Fine," he growled. "Endotherms are warm blooded animals. They rely on their own internal heat. Why did you make me study that anyways?"

"Because I know Dr. Yugoda likes hard extra credit questions. And biology is fun!" Toph heard Zuko shake his head in disbelief at her cheerfulness, but soon she was frowning as she thought about her tests after biology. "Unlike some other subjects. Hey, are you any good at history?"

"It's my best subject, though currently not my favorite," Zuko replied evenly and Toph knew he was talking about his history teacher, Zhou. "Why?"

"I have a test Monday," Toph sighed. "And history is definitely _not_ one of my better subjects."

"No, biology is," Zuko replied with a smirk in his tone. Toph turned her face up to him in surprise that he had even attempted to joke and smirked back before punching him in the arm.

"Well, uh…canyouhelpmewithhistory?" Toph stumbled through the request in one breath, just trying to get it out. She felt better until she heard Zuko stop altogether.

"What?" she asked as she stopped ahead of him and turned back to 'look' at him.

"I heard you never ask for help," Zuko said as he started walking again. From his tone, he was studying her and seeing a new side of her.

"I'm not good at history and I need to pass this class. So, will you help or not?! You know you owe me!"

She was starting to scowl and stopped when she heard a light laugh come out of the odd senior.

"Yeah, I know I owe you. We'll need to stop by my place on the way home for something, and then I'll help you learn history. What are you taking anyways?"

"American history. The test is on the revolution. Thanks by the way." Toph smiled up at Zuko as they reached the school. "Catch you later and good luck on the test."

She left him looking at her oddly at his English class and hurried to her own.

XXXXX

Zuko tried to concentrate on the English lesson, but his thoughts kept straying to biology and Toph. The blind girl was definitely odd, but she was interesting. The bell rang and he made his way out and towards biology, but there was something missing. He was halfway to the science class when he realized Toph wasn't escorting him to her favorite subject.

Toph had practically dragged him from class to class the entire week and suddenly she had vanished. Zuko hurried through the crowded halls to biology and found only Aang at their table.

"Where's Toph?" Zuko hissed to the cheerful sophomore as the bell rang and everyone took their seats.

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Aang asked innocently. Zuko merely scowled at him and Aang looked startled and slightly frightened. "She takes her tests verbally, in the office," Aang said, pointing to the door on the side which Dr. Yugoda came through at that moment. "Don't worry, we'll see her after."

Zuko wanted to ask for more details but Dr. Yugoda spoke up first.

"Now, our second test for this semester. There are three versions of the tests, and only I know which are which. Hahn, switch with Li," she said, frowning at two boys in the front.

Zuko saw the older brown haired boy frown before getting up and he took his time moving to the seat closest to the desk while the biology teacher continued to frown at him.

"There will be no cheating," Dr. Yugoda continued, still frowning at the boy. "Any hint will result in an immediate F. You have the hour to complete the test. When you are finished, bring your test to me for your anatomy and extra credit question." She started passing out the tests and frowned again at the boy she had pointed out earlier as she passed him his test. "If you have any questions, raise your hand and I'll be right there. If you finish early, you may leave the room, but remember to stay in the halls and be quiet. Begin."

She finished as she handed the last tests to Zuko and Aang and smiled at them both before turning to head back to her desk. Zuko looked down at the test and with a small smile, started on it. Half an hour later, he was the second to rise and hand the test into Dr. Yugoda. She smiled up at him and handed it back with a pencil.

"Good, now write the answers to these questions on the back," she said in a low tone. She pointed to a small organ in a dissected frog and Zuko wrote down his answer. He glanced back up at her and saw her give an approving nod. "And for extra credit, what are endotherms?"

Zuko almost grinned as he wrote the answer, but restrained himself, handing the test to the teacher as he finished. He retreated back towards his seat and saw the boy Dr. Yugoda had frowned at glare at him with icy blue eyes as Zuko walked back to his table. Zuko quickly picked up his backpack and walked outside to find Toph looking bored in the hallway, leaning against the far wall.

"Finally," she whispered as he closed the door. "I thought you'd never get out. So, any wrong?"

"Maybe one or two," Zuko admitted in a low voice as he walked over to lean next to her. "You?"

"I never get one wrong," Toph smirked. "Well, for this class anyways. What'd you get for the anatomy and extra credit?"

"Gall bladder and endotherms."

Toph punched him in the arm, smiling up at him and Zuko couldn't restrain himself as he smiled back. They waited in silence as a few more students trickled out and Zuko remembered the icy glare he had received when the other boy who had moved came out.

"Who was the guy up front?" Zuko whispered to Toph. "Tall, menacing, teacher doesn't like and hinted that he's cheated before. His name was either Hahn or Li."

"Oh, Hahn," Toph sighed, blowing a few bangs out of her face. "He's a rich, snotty, spoiled little brat who thinks he can get his way just 'cause his parents are loaded."

Zuko started to smirk and Toph turned her face towards him and smirked first. "And no, I'm not like him at all. He's a junior, but cheated on the final last year, so he has to take it again. And he only dates rich girls, the others he only sees if they can be used to his advantage. He tried to break Sokka and Yue up last year, and after Yue died, he went after Katara. Sokka almost beat the dumbass up for that." Toph smiled broadly. "Oh, and his nickname is Dumbass. His last name is Du-moss, so I just adapted it to his attitude."

Zuko nodded, watching the door, but the icy eyed junior didn't come out. "He ever hit on you?" Zuko asked.

"Nope, but I know he will soon," Toph stated. "When he does, I want to grind him into the dirt so hard he won't even look at me twice."

Zuko smiled back at Toph and they waited in silence for the rest of the hour. Aang came out later and Hahn was the last to come out, just before the bell rang. The snotty junior glared at Zuko as the scarred teen stood next to Toph before Hahn started walking away. Toph frowned after Hahn before leading the way to math.

XXXXX

Toph focused on the math lesson as she heard Zuko scribbling formulas behind her. The entire class had groaned when Mr. Mechanist had told them that there would be a test the next Friday. Now she had two tests to look forward to the following week and she was sure the hag Hama would give her a test too. But she pushed that out of her head for the moment. She'd find out soon enough. She turned her thoughts to her new friend and his new nemesis. Zuko definitely knew how to make people hate him, but it seemed to her that Hahn was merely hostile to Zuko because the new guy associated with her.

So far, she had been able to avoid the snotty junior and had been able to brush him off with her own rough attitude. But she knew she was getting older, and, as her mom repeatedly pointed out, was becoming a young woman. It would come to a head soon, and from the vibes she got off Hahn, it would be very soon. She heard Zuko give a small relieved sigh as the bell rang and smiled. Maybe Zuko would help her teach the brat a lesson. Obviously her new friend didn't like Hahn either from the way he had described him_._ Thankfully, that was her only class with the dumbass.

Toph walked with Zuko in silence to chemistry. She heard glass clinking when she entered and felt a sense of dread, knowing it was a lab. Zuko kept his stuff together and Toph followed his lead as they sat in their seats, waiting for Mrs. Hama.

"Hello, class," the older teacher said as she entered once the bell had rung again. "We have a lab today on mass and volume," she said as she turned and started writing on the chalkboard. Several people sighed in relief while others groaned as quietly as they could. "Also, there will be a test next Friday," Mrs. Hama continued to a very loud groan from the class. The groan ended abruptly as Toph heard the teacher turn back to the class and tapped the chalkboard with her nails. "Good, here are the instructions. Form in groups of four to six and start. I want a report with your observations and results by the end of the hour."

Toph waited and soon Jin and Song came to her, asking if she needed a group. The two girls were sweet and kind, and always sought Toph out when there were labs. They just seemed to know she needed help and didn't like to ask.

"Can Sunsh…Zuko join too?" Toph asked them.

"Of course," Jin said sweetly. Toph heard the girl's breathing quicken as she turned towards Zuko and Toph felt herself get angry with the sweet girl, but didn't understand why. Pushing the confusion out of her head, she got up and followed Song to where they usually did labs while Jin turned to Zuko.

"Can you help me get the stuff needed?" Jin asked Zuko breathlessly.

"Whatever," Zuko muttered in an aloof tone before following Jin to where the equipment was.

Toph felt herself get angry again and another emotion started to intrude, but Toph pushed them away. She recognized the other as jealousy and knew she shouldn't be jealous if Zuko got attention. She had only known the guy for a week. Surely she hadn't started liking him like that, could she? Toph brushed it off and decided she just liked Zuko as a friend and was only looking out for the lonely, odd senior.

Jin and Zuko returned with the scale, beakers and marbles and started on the lab. Song took notes silently as Jin had Zuko and Toph help her with the experiment. Zuko remained silent as Toph just held the beakers, waiting for a command as Jin weighed and measured the beakers, water, and marbles as they determined the mass and volume of the marbles. Song wrote the report and asked Toph for help with the calculations at the end. They finished just before the bell rang and Toph practically dragged Zuko out of chemistry after they had grabbed their backpacks.

"What's your problem?" Zuko asked once she slowed down in the hallway as they made their way to lunch.

"Nothing," Toph muttered.

She knew Zuko was looking at her oddly. "How do you know those two? They were…odd."

Toph felt better as he spoke as if he didn't want to associate with Jin again. Toph shrugged. "They're juniors, and are usually shy and quiet. They know I don't care for chemistry and always ask me to join them for labs. You ok with them?"

She heard Zuko shrug. "Yeah, I guess. Though that one girl had better stop bugging me. Could you tell how she kept asking me to do stuff when both you and she were fully capable of doing it?"

"Yeah," Toph said, starting to smile. "But don't worry about her. Now c'mon, I'm suddenly starving."

XXXXX

Zuko watched oddly as Toph got the spring back into her step. He didn't know what had bugged the blind girl, but something he said had made her feel better. Obviously it had to do with the weird girl, Jin. He knew the junior was hitting on him, but he didn't need that kind of attention. His luck with girls wasn't great and with him and his uncle moving every few months, he definitely didn't need another girlfriend anytime soon.

He followed Toph into the lunch line and saw that they were serving spaghetti. He could see Sokka, Katara, and Aang already sitting at their table as Toph paid for her lunch with her card. Zuko pulled out the few bucks he had and grabbed a pack of skittles to celebrate his victory over biology. Toph must have heard him grab the candy and turned back to him, questioning him with her gaze.

"Just had an extra buck," he muttered, but Toph smiled knowingly back at him before heading to their table.

Toph slid in next to Aang, but took up the entire bench, only leaving a spot next to Katara. Zuko met her blue gaze and she scooted over a little more, but before he could sit, Jet moved in.

"Sorry, Scarface," Jet said as he sat, "but this beautiful lady is mine."

"I told you we were finished," Katara said, pushing Jet away. "I want you to leave me alone."

Jet captured her arms pushing on his chest in one hand and wrapped another arm around her shoulder to pull the blue eyed girl closer.

"Leave me alone, Jet," Katara said, struggling.

Zuko saw Sokka move to try to save his sister, but Zuko was faster. The scarred teen grabbed Jet's arm pulling Katara in and moved it behind Jet's back, twisting it so that the spiky haired teen had to let go of Katara and rise up to keep his arm from being dislocated. Zuko moved Jet so that the senior had to step away from the table before he let go.

"Leave her alone," Zuko growled before he sat next to Katara. He was aware of Jet glaring at him and the entire cafeteria was watching them as he started on his lunch.

Katara had drawn away from Zuko into her brother and was watching Jet anxiously.

"No one…no one…takes me away from my girl," Jet seethed.

Zuko swallowed his food and turned towards Jet, so that he could see him through both eyes. "As far as I know, she's not your girl. She's told you so, so leave."

He turned back to his food and saw Jet move to punch him. Sokka, Katara and Aang all cried out, but Zuko moved faster and grabbed Jet's wrist, turning it and rising at the same time. He turned Jet as he stood until the spiky haired senior's back was to him and the guy's wrist was pinned against his back. Zuko pushed Jet away and grabbed his backpack, stalking out of the cafeteria before anything else could happen. He heard someone chasing after him through the empty hallway and turned, ready to defend himself from Jet, but stopped short when he saw Toph hurrying towards him.

"Leave me alone," Zuko growled to the blind girl as he turned back and started walking away from her.

Toph caught up to him and gave him a smile. "This way. I know something that'll make you feel better." She then turned and started walking away from him. Zuko stopped and stared after her. With a sigh, Zuko stalked off after Toph. She slowed down until he got within 10 yards of her and then she picked up her pace again. Zuko followed her through a set of doors and found that she had led him to the gym.

"So," Zuko growled to the blind girl as she smiled up at him. She pointed to the corner and Zuko followed her finger and saw a punching bag.

"Mr. Jeong lets me come in here and let loose my frustrations," Toph said, still smiling. "It's all yours."

Zuko smirked and dropped his backpack before walking up to the punching bag. He started hitting and kicking it, imagining Jet's face before that changed to another face. The face that always haunted him, the one he always saw whenever he hit in anger. The face he ran from. Zuko punched and kicked more savagely until he was out of breath and sagged against the punching bag.

"You were right, Toph," he heard Mr. Jeong say from behind him. "He is talented. He also needs a way to let out his frustrations as you did. Something creative."

"Yeah, he's good. Maybe we can do that club you approached me about," Toph stated.

"What are you two talking about?" Zuko asked as he turned and wiped the sweat away from his forehead. "I'm probably going to be suspended for that stunt Jet pulled.

He saw Toph smirking at him and Mr. Jeong had a knowing smile on his face. "I saw the whole thing," Mr. Jeong said as he walked up to Zuko. "Jet threw the first punch. You merely defended yourself and your friends. Jet will be suspended for a week, while you are free of all charges. Besides, your uncle asked me to keep an eye out for you in case any hotheads provoked you."

Zuko scowled up at the teacher, but the gym teacher merely continued to smile down at him. When Zuko didn't speak, Mr. Jeong continued.

"I was hoping to start a martial arts club, but I needed a few more students to help me guide and teach others. Toph is nearly a master of Hung Guar. Her friends, Sokka and Katara, are excellent at Tai Chi and Aang is one of the best I've see at Ba Gua. The only thing missing is…"

"Shaolin," Zuko muttered. He looked up into the teacher's brown eyes and frowned. "It's too dangerous. I won't teach anyone Shaolin."

"I'm not asking you to teach it," Mr. Jeong said gently. "Just guide those who already know some of it. Maybe teach some of the defensive moves like you used on Jet today. I know all the forms to some extent, and if you agree, I hope to start the club next week. Will you be there?"

Zuko studied the teacher and saw Mr. Jeong waiting patiently for an answer. "How do you know my uncle?" Zuko asked.

The teacher's eyes narrowed slightly, but he continued to smile. "He was my Colonel just before Vietnam. He always stopped by and got to know his troops. When he saw I knew a little Shaolin, he showed me a few moves. They saved my life. We kept in touch and he told me he was moving here a few weeks ago and asked me to keep an eye on you. I've been living nicely as a teacher for the past twenty years, but having an old friend close by who knows Pai Sho is a great improvement on this town."

Zuko sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Of course the teacher was a friend of his uncle. Zuko knew his uncle would have eyes on him no matter where he went. He glanced at Toph and saw her looking confused.

"Fine, I'll join," Zuko said and saw Toph perk up from behind the teacher. "But I won't teach anyone Shaolin."

"That's fine," Mr. Jeong said as he handed Zuko a piece of paper. "This is a permission slip. First meeting will be Wednesday after school here in the gym. I'll see you later."

The teacher started walking out as Zuko glanced at the paper. "Oh, and feel free to come in here anytime you need the punching bag," Mr. Jeong said before he left.

Zuko sighed again and made his way to stuff the permission slip into his backpack. Toph was still studying him as he stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"I'll tell you later," Zuko said as he made his way to history. Toph nodded and fell in alongside of him. He saw her dive a hand into her pocket and withdrew his bag of skittles.

"Here," she said, holding the candy out to him. "You didn't get to eat lunch."

Zuko took the candy and ate it, savoring the candy as his stomach growled. He saw a wishful expression on Toph's face as they walked on and touched the bag to her hand.

"You can have the rest," he said as she took the bag with a handful still in it. "And thank you."

Toph grinned and downed the candy before the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. She then hurried off to her own history class as Zuko took a deep breath and went into Zhou's class for another tedious lecture on the Romans.

XXXXX

Toph smiled as she walked home with Zuko. He was going to help her with history and the big mystery that was Zuko had gotten bigger. _And_, he had told her he would explain later. She didn't expect him to spill all, that would be silly of her, but he would let her in a bit. He had sounded so angry while he used the punching bag at lunch, and she had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't just Jet he was angry at. She wondered what could have caused the odd senior to be so reclusive, so careful, and yet so angry. She knew it all fit together, and all she had to do was wait for him to tell her.

"I just need to stop in my house to get something," Zuko said as they turned onto their street. They continued to walk in silence to his house and he hurried in. "Uncle, this is Toph," Zuko said as Toph followed him into the entryway. "Toph, my uncle, Iroh."

"It's good to see you again Miss Toph," Iroh said in a slightly accented voice. Toph smiled up at the man.

"I'd say the same, but can't. It's good to hear you."

Iroh chuckled, his laugh warm and inviting. "Would you care for some tea, my dear?"

"Nah," Toph said, waving it off. "Sunshine said he just needed to grab something before we head to my place to study history."

"Sunshine?" Iroh asked, confused before he laughed again. "It suits him. And history is his best subject. Did he do well in biology?"

"Aced it, Uncle," Zuko said as he came back out. "Thanks to her. She's more ruthless than…well, she's ruthless and now I'm returning the favor. I'll be back later."

Toph felt Zuko walk past her and she smiled once more at Iroh. "Maybe some tea next time," she told the older man before following Zuko out and to her house. "You didn't have to be so mean to him, he's nice," she said to Zuko as he stopped and waited at her door.

"I wasn't mean," Zuko said. "Just…he'll talk you to death sometimes."

Toph heard in his tone that Zuko cared for his uncle, but was annoyed with him at the same time. She figured it had to do with what he and Mr. Jeong talked about as she knocked once. Fong was there quickly and opened the door for both of them.

"Anything to eat, Miss Toph?" Fong asked as Toph led the way to the living room where they had studied the entire week.

"Can you make some sandwiches? Lunch wasn't that great."

"Of course," Fong said before retreating to the kitchen.

"Thanks," Zuko whispered as he let his backpack drop onto the floor. It fell with a thud, much louder than it should have been and Toph turned her face to Zuko, questioning him as he pulled a cushion off the couch and sat on it.

"Ok," he sighed. "I can tell you some, but you can't tell anyone else."

"My lips are sealed," Toph said as she pulled a cushion off the couch and sat across from Zuko.

"My uncle was a general in the army," Zuko said quietly. "He made a lot of friends and he always makes sure we move to a place where some of his friends are to watch out for me. It's so frustrating sometimes, but it needs to be done."

Toph waited as he retreated into silence. "Why?" she asked when he didn't continue.

"There's…someone…after me. Trying to hurt me. So my uncle sets up his friends to watch out for me to keep me and him safe. To let me live at least a semblance of a normal life."

Toph heard the pain in his voice as he struggled to talk about it and yet not reveal anything. She knew how much her freedom meant to her, and for Zuko to live like he did, it wasn't freedom. He acted like he was free, but knew that he wasn't.

"I'm sorry," Toph muttered. "I know what it's like to be caged. Thanks. For telling me some." She smiled up at him and thought that he was feeling better about it. "Now, how can you get me to learn history?"

Zuko moved and got something out of his backpack, and then the sounds of several things being placed on the table occurred. Toph reached out and found the things to be small figures of men with swords, guns, cavalry and even cannons. They weren't the cheep plastic army men, but porcelain figures, probably painted. Fong came out and placed the sandwiches and drinks on the table before retreating quietly.

"I brought models," Zuko said with a small smile in his tone. "What battles are you studying?"

"Bunker and Yorktown," Toph said with a sigh.

"Ok, Bunker first," Zuko said as she heard him draw some change out of his pocket. He slipped a few pennies under some of the figures of men. "These are the Americans," he said, taking her hand and letting her feel the figures on the coins. He then took a book and placed it on the table and the American figures on the book. "They took Bunker Hill during the night and fortified their position. The Americans had about 500 men, so we'll use two figures," he said as he removed several extras. "The British had 2200, so we'll use the rest as the British. They attacked in a two prong attack."

Toph heard Zuko move the figures around and then took her hand and moved it so she felt about five figures coming from one side and another five coming from the other side, going up the book. It started to click as Zuko moved the pieces up the book and telling her how the Americans had waited until the British were close before firing. He removed four pieces from the British side as they made three waves of attack and eventually removed one from the American side as the other American figure retreated to a smaller book.

Toph soaked it all up as more figures were added to the British side as they enclosed on the smaller hill and five more figures were removed before the British finally won.

"Does that help it make sense?" Zuko asked once the battle was finished.

"Yes!" Toph said eagerly. "Show me Yorktown now!"

She heard Zuko chuckle softly as he moved the figures around before explaining the battle of Yorktown. After he was done with the battles, he explained the politics and strategies and used her own method of remembering taxonomy and applied it to history.

"Miss Toph," Fong interrupted when they were discussing the French joining the Americans. "I'm sorry, but Master Fu is waiting for you."

"You can watch again," Toph said to Zuko as she rose from the cushion and stretched.

"Sounds good," Zuko said as he got up to follow her to the dojo.

XXXXX

Zuko waited just inside the doorway as Toph disappeared to change and studied her master discreetly. The man avoided Zuko's gaze and instead had taken down a staff and was practicing with it.

"Ok, Xin Fu," Toph said as she brushed past Zuko into the dojo. "What do you have for me tonight?"

Xin Fu turned towards Zuko and narrowed his green eyes at the scarred teen. "Are you sure you won't give me a demonstration?"

"No, I won't," Zuko stated.

"Very well, do the tiger form, Toph," Xin Fu said, turning back to his student. "And then we'll spar."

Toph nodded and did the series of forms, stretching and loosening up as she went. Zuko watched her as she and Xin Fu sparred and she easily bested her teacher, pinning him twice.

"Maybe the young man will give me a break," Xin Fu said as he got up from the second pinning.

Zuko looked at Toph and saw her waiting for him to answer. When he didn't, she smiled slightly.

"We can go at your own pace, Sunshine," Toph said to Zuko, turning towards him. "No faster than you want it to be and we can stop anytime you want."

Zuko was hesitant, but he had seen Toph take out her teacher many times. He just hoped he could stop if it was needed.

"Fine," he sighed and removed his shoes before stepping onto the mat.

He saw Toph smile as she stood in a horse stance as he approached her and dropped into his own stance. He knew Xin Fu was smirking at him for finally giving in, but he didn't care. He was doing this for Toph, not for her teacher. Zuko jabbed in and Toph deflected it to the side, jabbing back. Zuko sidestepped and kicked up towards her head, but she brought a hand up to block his kick effortlessly. He knew she was better than this slow pace and increased his own pace slightly, punching and kicking.

Toph stayed in one position, only moving a little to block or turn his attacks. Zuko kicked high and saw her block before he spun onto his hands and used his other leg to knock her feet out from under her. She had a surprised look on her face as her feet left the ground, but then she rolled back over her head and was up in a horse stance again, waiting.

"That was tricky," she smirked. "I like that. What else do you have?"

"A few more tricks," Zuko replied as he kicked at her again. He punched and she returned the punch, but instead of blocking, he grabbed her arm and twisted it as he had twisted Jet's. Toph turned with her arm, spinning through the air and landed a solid kick into his stomach before finding her feet again. She grabbed his arm still holding hers and twisted it, but Zuko ducked under her arms, kicking out with his feet again to try and knock her down.

Toph jumped over his leg and Zuko used the moment to jab in and grabbed her throat. He was about to punch her again when he noticed where his hand was and let her go immediately, backing up.

"I…I'm sorry, I gotta go," he said in a rush. He grabbed his shoes, ignoring Toph's look of confusion and Xin Fu's look of disbelief as he rushed back into the living room and grabbed his backpack. Zuko pulled his shoes on quickly and stalked back home, his hands clenching into fists as he thought about how close he had come to hurting the one person who was his friend.

"Nephew, I'm glad you're home…" Iroh said as Zuko stalked into his house and slammed the door behind him. "Nephew? Is everything all right?" Iroh asked as Zuko dropped his backpack and went to the garage.

The scarred teen saw his own punching bag and started hitting it and kicking it, letting loose all the anger he held within him. Anger towards himself for accepting Toph's offer and nearly hurting her. Anger towards his uncle for keeping an eye on him everywhere he went. And anger towards the one who had caused him to live his life the way he did. His father. Zuko looked at the punching bag and saw his father's face sneering at him as he had seen it on the punching bag at school and started pounding the bag with all his might. He lost track of time as sweat started pouring down his face and with a great roar, he kicked the bag savagely and it was flung off of the chain holding it up and against the wall.

"Well, now I know you're good at killing punching bags," a voice said from the doorway behind him.

Zuko turned to find Toph sitting on the step leading down from the house with two cups of tea. One was empty and the other no longer steaming, but she still held it out to him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She ducked her head and her face was hidden behind her bangs as she took the cup of tea back. "I was worried. About you," she said. "You stormed out when I was about to pin you and I didn't know why. You ok?"

Zuko just stared at her. "Pin me?" Zuko asked. "I was about to punch you in the face! You weren't anywhere close to pinning me!"

Toph brought her face up and he saw she was frowning at him. "I was too! You left everything vulnerable and I was about to grab your arm and flip you if you hadn't retreated. I can show you, too!"

Zuko watched her in astonishment as she got up and walked to him, picking up his arms. She moved one hand so that it was on her throat. "Punch me," she ordered. "Like you were going to."

"No. I won't," Zuko stated, trying to withdraw his hand from her throat.

Toph just held it there with an iron grip. "Do it, and I'll show you. You can even go slowly so that we both know you can stop it."

"Toph…"

"Do it," she stated.

Zuko sighed and started the punch, going slow enough so he could stop it, but fast enough that there would be momentum behind it needed for the move she had explained. Lightning fast, she grabbed his incoming arm and twisted it as she rolled back. She pushed her feet into his stomach and pushed him up and over, rolling over him so that she landed on his chest a second after he landed on his back. She had twisted both of his arms so that he couldn't move them without injury to himself and grinned down at him.

"See? I told ya."

He could only stare at her before he stared laughing. She looked down on him in confusion and her expression just made him laugh harder.

"What's so funny?" Toph asked, starting to scowl.

"Me," Zuko said as he calmed down. "I was so angry for almost hurting you and you…you're amazing. I couldn't touch you if you really let me."

Toph smiled and got off of him, holding a hand out to help him back up. Zuko took it and was surprised at the strength in her arms as she hauled him to his feet.

"Well, you did surprise me with that spinning move," Toph said as she retreated to the step by the door. "And don't doubt yourself, Sunshine. You're great, probably better than you make yourself out to be. You don't have anything to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, I do" Zuko sighed as he sank onto the step next to her. She handed him the cup of tea and he drank it. Wincing at the lukewarm tea, he downed it quickly. "I've hurt people before."

"I'm sure it was an accident," Toph said.

"No, it wasn't," Zuko replied, his tone becoming harder as he remembered. "Three broken arms, two broken legs, and a couple of bruised ribs on four different people. And all because they insulted me because of this stupid scar."

He felt like he wanted to pound the punching bag again, but sighed desolately as he saw it lying limp in the corner. He would have to fix it soon, but not that night.

"You stood up for yourself," Toph stated in a determined tone. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. I don't know how many black eyes and broken noses I've given kids who made fun of my blindness."

"That's because you can't see them," Zuko remarked and was punched lightly in the shoulder as a reward for the lame joke.

They sat in silence for a while. "Come out with us tomorrow," Toph said. "Sokka, Katara, Aang and I are going to see Transformers and just hang out. It'll be fun and get your mind off of whatever it's on."

"How can you see the movie?" he asked and was punched harder that time. Zuko rubbed his shoulder and looked over to see Toph frowning at him.

"I listen. And even though I'm told I miss all the great special effects, I can still hear it and it sounds great. Come out with us and we'll study history afterwards if you're up to it."

"Will you stop punching me if I say yes?"

"For tonight, unless you make another stupid comment," she smirked.

"Then yeah."

"Great!" Toph said as she stood up. "I'll come by to get you. Probably about 11 or so."

Zuko just watched her as she opened the door back into the house and said a farewell to Iroh before he heard the front door close. Slowly Zuko rose and picked up the two tea cups before heading inside and to the kitchen. There he found his uncle with a fresh pot of tea and two teacups at the small dining table they had. Iroh watched him patiently and Zuko sank into the chair opposite his uncle and grabbed the hot tea.

"I'm gonna need to fix the punching bag," Zuko muttered before he started drinking the tea.

Iroh smiled and nodded. "That is all right Nephew. I'll get a new one. That one was getting soft anyways."

"Today was a rollercoaster day," Zuko said to which his uncle merely smiled and nodded. Zuko smiled back at his uncle and continued to sip his tea as they sat in comfortable silence.


	4. Question

Fight or Flight

A/N: thank you so much to my betas again. You guys are awesome. And thank you everyone who reviewed and waited. No stable internet for 4 days has not made me happy. But, I did get to wrestle the cougar I work with. ) Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

Chapter 4

Toph woke up to her phone ringing. The song was Move Along and she knew it was Sokka. Reaching out a hand to her table, she fumbled around, feeling her alarm clock before she felt her cell phone.

"What, Snoozles?" Toph muttered as she brought the phone to her ear.

"Morning, Toph," she heard Sokka say. "I'm giving you a heads up. We'll be there in an hour."

"Mm-hmm," Toph muttered as she started to wake up. "What time is it?"

"Ten, so get up lazy bones, and get ready. You know how Suki doesn't like us being late."

"Yeah, whatever," Toph mumbled as she clicked the off button and set her phone back down. She wanted to roll over and get back to sleep, but knew she couldn't. Whining to herself, she forced herself out of bed and made her way to the shower.

Nearly an hour later, she was dressed in some comfortable jeans and a tight t shirt. Her mom said it was a baby doll t shirt that was dark green and showed how much of a young lady she was becoming. Toph didn't like that part of the shirt, but all her baggy ones were dirty, so she had to make do with the tight shirt. Unfortunately, her hair didn't want to cooperate with her, so she just tied it back into a ponytail before grabbing the few bills her mom had given her and started walking over to Zuko's house.

She had told Fong and her mom what the plan was the night before. Just a movie and hanging out with friends, so her mother had given her a few twenties to spend. Toph reached Zuko's door and knocked while still yawning.

"Ah, Miss Toph," Iroh said as he opened the door. "Zuko is getting ready. Please, join me for some tea."

"Thanks," Toph said before following him into the kitchen. She heard Iroh pull a chair out for her before setting a tea cup in front of her and taking the other chair.

"I want to say thank you for looking after my nephew," Iroh said as Toph took a sip of the wonderful tea. "He needs a friend. Especially someone who listens, like you."

Toph felt herself blush and ducked her head so that her bangs covered her face. "Thanks, but I'm just there."

"Ah, but you have been so much more," Iroh said before he started whispering. "Keep it up, and I think he'll be laughing soon."

Toph smiled at the older man as she heard Zuko coming down the hallway towards them.

"Hey, Toph," Zuko said as he came into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water. "Are we walking or riding?"

"Suki's picking us up," Toph said to him as she heard a car pull up outside. "And I think she's here. Come on Sunshine, we don't want to be late."

Toph got up and headed to the door and heard Zuko follow her.

"Have fun," Iroh called out to them as they walked outside.

"Who's Suki?" Zuko asked quietly as he followed her.

"Sokka's girlfriend," Toph said back to him, trying to hide her frown. "She goes to Gaoling High on the other side of town."

"Uh huh," Zuko murmured as Toph heard Sokka get out of the car.

"There you two are," Sokka said with a grin. "Hurry up or we'll be late."

Toph smiled and slid into the back seat of the minivan, feeling Zuko slide in next to her before they were off.

XXXXX

Zuko held back as they exited the movie. From the way everyone was talking, they had seen or heard the movie several times before, but continued to return to see it again. Aang and Sokka were in the lead, talking about the final battle between Megatron and Optimus Prime with their hands moving to show certain moves as Suki and Katara sighed dreamily over the hero, Shia LaBoeuf. Zuko let a small smile tug at his mouth as Toph rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue as the other girls gushed over how handsome and sweet the guy was. He was pretty impressed by Toph though. She actually looked pretty and girlish that day. Her tight shirt showed that she was more than just a tomboy, and was definitely competition to Katara in the looks department. But Zuko knew Toph didn't care about that, and he liked her the way she was. As a friend, of course.

"Oh, here's the Cold Stone!" Aang cried out happily and ran to the door. He held it open for the others and Zuko thought he caught the cheerful sophomore blushing as Katara thanked him.

"So what is this place?" Zuko hissed to Toph as Sokka and Suki ordered.

Toph turned to stare at Zuko in shock. "This is Cold Stone. The epitome of ice cream! You choose your own flavor, and then add in whatever you want. You've lived all over, and you've never heard of Cold Stone?"

"Heard of it," Zuko hissed to her as he noticed Sokka glancing back at him. "Never been to one."

"Well, you're going to love it," Toph smirked as she stepped up to the counter and a girl with spiky brown hair coming out of the top of her visor and a long braid falling down her back approached Toph and smiled.

"Hey, Toph," the girl said. "The usual?"

"Yep. Thanks, Smellerbee."

Zuko watched as the girl proceeded to scoop some ice cream out and then move to the counter to add in some things. She handed a large cup to Toph and turned to Zuko.

"So, what'll you have?" the girl asked with a smile.

Zuko glanced at the ice cream and picked out mint ice cream and had the girl put in oreo cookies and fudge. The girl mixed it all in and handed the cup to him. Zuko was about to pay a quiet looking teen when Toph dropped her change into the tip jar and turned to smile at Zuko. The boy glanced at Smellerbee and tapped the tip jar. Smellerbee smiled at Toph and sang a light tune in an amazing voice. Zuko glanced at Toph and found the blind girl frowning towards the quiet teen.

"Ah, come on Longshot," Toph said to the boy. "You know you have to sing too. Here's some extra incentive."

Toph pulled out a ten and waved it in front of Longshot before dropping it into the tip jar. Zuko watched as Longshot smiled down at Toph before turning to Smellerbee and smiling. They both started singing an ice cream version of Hi Ho, Hi Ho and Toph grinned the whole time. Zuko had to admit the guy had a pretty good voice.

"Hey, aren't you the guy that got Jet suspended?" Smellerbee asked as she moved to take the register as Longshot helped Katara.

"Yeah, so?" Zuko said, bristling at the question.

"Thanks," the girl said. "Jet's my older brother, but sometimes he needs to be reminded he's not all that. I'm June, and that's my boyfriend, Johnny." She pointed over to the quiet teen as he handed Katara her ice cream. "But we go by Smellerbee and Longshot. Don't worry about Longshot, he's just quiet. That'll be 4.57."

Zuko nodded and handed her a five, walking out and following Toph before Smellerbee could hand him his change. He sat next to Toph and started on his ice cream in silence as Katara and Aang joined them and Sokka and Suki at a table.

"Toph," Aang said halfway through his ice cream. "Remind me again why they go by Smellerbee and Longshot."

Toph sent a smirk Zuko's way before talking. "Well, Longshot has always been great at archery, but it's really because he survived his home burning down with hardly any scars and saved his little brother, Wayne, at the same time."

Zuko's interest was peaked by that comment and he stopped eating to listen in.

"He almost died from smoke inhalation and the doctors said it would be a long shot if he survived without any damage, but there he is with a great voice. And Smellerbee chose that because she's always loved perfumes and her mom taught her how to fight, always saying 'remember to sting like a bee, quick and painful.'"

"You sure you didn't give them the nicknames?" Zuko remarked before digging into his ice cream again.

"No," Toph said, smirking at Zuko again before punching his arm. "They chose those for themselves, and it suits them perfectly. But they like to think of themselves as the original Johnny and June sometimes. I can just tell."

"And how would you know that, Toph?" Sokka asked as he held back a laugh. "You haven't even had a boyfriend yet."

"Sokka!" Suki cried as she punched her boyfriend in the shoulder. "Just because a woman hasn't had a boyfriend doesn't mean she doesn't understand love. You of all people should know that!"

Sokka started looking ashamed. "I'm sorry," he muttered to which Toph nodded. Zuko glanced at Toph as she finished her ice cream and saw her looking slightly sad, though she tried to hide it behind her bangs. He wondered about it, but soon she was smiling and joking and the scarred teen brushed it off to think about later.

XXXXX

After they had wandered around the shopping center for a few hours, Suki dropped Zuko and Toph off first since their houses were closest to the movie theatre.

"You need any more help with history?" Zuko asked as they stood on the sidewalk once Suki had driven off.

"Nah, I think I got it. Thanks for coming out today," Toph said back to him, smiling up towards his face.

She turned to head to her house, but Zuko spoke up and the question stopped her.

"How long have you liked him?" Zuko asked, and Toph could almost hear hesitation in his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Toph replied innocently. "Catch you later."

She heard Zuko hesitate as she turned away to hide her features. She was sure he was going to say something else as she started walking across the street, but he simply said, "Yeah, see you," before he turned to his own house. Toph made her way to her own house, keeping her back straight as she heard his door close. She even kept calm until she made her it to her room. Only when she was there did she let her façade fall. She felt her face fall and tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them out, even in the privacy of her own room. Sokka's words had hurt her, even though she knew he didn't mean it like that. But the scary thing was that Zuko had seen right through her tough shell and had figured her out a little. She knew she was waiting him out and learning more about the odd senior, but she never expected to let him in as he was letting her in. It was scary… and also kind of nice.

Toph sighed and pushed the confusing emotions and thoughts out of her head as she reached out to find her history book. Finding it by the brail, she grabbed it and started studying.

The rest of Saturday and first half of Sunday were completely boring to Toph. History was easier to memorize using Zuko's reminders, but she still grew bored of it. She occasionally switched to study math or chemistry, but the chemistry was even more complex and confusing than the history. Eventually she was fed up with studying and picked up her phone. She didn't know who she was going to call, but decided to bug Zuko. He was the closest to her.

"Hello?" she heard him say on the phone.

"Hey, Sunshine. I need a break from studying. You want to take a walk to the beach?"

"Toph, I have to study too."

"I know," Toph said, trying to think up a way to get Zuko out of studying for a bit. "There's a great smoothie place at the beach. My treat."

Toph waited as silence greeted her and eventually she heard Zuko again.

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll be right over. I just have to let my uncle know."

"Ok, thanks," Toph said, happier as she closed her phone and grabbed her credit card and the extra twenty she had from the day before. She hurried to the door when she heard the knocker and called out to Fong as she passed the living room.

"I'm going to the beach for a bit with Zuko. Need a break from studying."

"You have your phone, Miss Toph?" Fong said as she passed him.

"Yep, see you," Toph said as she reached the door and opened it. "Hi, Sunshine! Come on, this way."

She heard him rake a hand through his hair as he followed her to the beach. Toph knew it was only a half mile away, almost the opposite direction from school. Zuko was silent as they walked and it sounded like he had his hands in his pockets.

"So, are you going to tell me?" he asked as they neared the beach.

"Tell you what?" Toph asked. She knew he was talking about the question he had asked the other day and almost dreaded him bringing it up again.

"The tough act doesn't work on me. Remember? I mastered it," he said with a smile in his tone.

Toph couldn't help but smile back at him, but continued to walk in silence until they reached the beach. She felt the wind on her face and smelled the salt and sand and old bonfires as she felt sand start to blow against her arms and face. She went to the railing between the path and beach and just leaned against it as she felt the warmth of the sun on her. Toph heard Zuko lean against the rail, but was sure he was looking at her.

"Come on Sunshine, enjoy a break from studying. It's only early October, we don't have to worry about finals until December."

"I'm not worried about the tests," he said.

Toph heard his hair moving against his shirt as if he was looking around. She figured it had to do with what he had told her of someone looking for him.

"Why do you want to know?" Toph asked.

XXXXX

Zuko was taken aback by the question and the sudden seriousness of Toph. He glanced back at her and saw her hiding her face behind her bangs again as she leaned against the old railing in the afternoon light. He could see some of her face and saw that she was worried and nervous about something. He didn't know why he had asked her the question the day before, but she seemed so…not Toph. And he had been worried about her, something he had not felt in a long time.

"You just seemed different around Suki," Zuko said with a shrug.

He saw Toph sigh and blow her bangs out of her face. "What?" she asked, starting to smirk as a tease entered her tone. "Are you worried about me?"

Zuko glanced at her before turning his back to the railing and looking around. He saw an older woman on a porch reading before turning back to look at Toph again.

"I don't know, maybe," he said. He saw that her head had come up at that and she seemed to stand a little taller. Not much since she was so short, but she reacted like she had when he had he had blown Jin off on Friday. She turned to smile at him, and he caught himself smiling back a little.

"No, I don't give information out unless I get some in return," she said.

"There's a woman reading a newspaper on her porch about fifty yards away," Zuko said. "She keeps glancing this way and I know she's a friend of my uncle. There, that enough info for you?"

"Hah! Not even close Sunshine," Toph said with a sly grin. "You tensed at the mention of the fire Longshot was in. Why?"

Zuko froze and turned to frown at Toph. She simply smiled back at him. He tried to think of something that could get her off his back and thought of the perfect response.

"I told you about my uncle, it's your turn."

"Aw, come on," Toph sighed as she turned her head away and back towards the beach as the sun started to sink lower and shine on her face. "That was Friday, and I told you how I get around."

"No, that doesn't count, it wasn't personal," he replied. "Besides, you lured me out here."

He watched as Toph frowned slightly before nodding and getting off the railing. "This way," she said as she turned and started heading towards the few buildings actually on the beach.

Zuko followed her in silence to the smoothie place and noticed she was acting normal as she ordered and paid for the smoothies. With smoothies in hand, they started walking back to where they had been.

"I'll tell you a little something," Zuko said as they walked, "but you go first."

Toph almost started to smile, but instead ducked her head to hide her face behind her hair. "Fine, I've liked Sokka since I met him in junior high. But he's only ever seen me as a best friend or another little sister."

Zuko nodded, but waited, knowing there was more to come. They reached their street and leaned against the railing again as they drank their smoothies.

"He started going out with Yue once he was in high school, and after she died, I thought…"

"You thought you might have a chance," Zuko said quietly as Toph drifted into silence. She turned her face to him and nodded. The scarred teen thought she looked so sad, but then she smiled slightly and turned her face back to the beach.

"That's not wrong of me, is it?" Toph asked.

"No."

"Well, he met Suki again right afterwards. She went to junior high with us, but lives closer to the other high school and we are where we are now."

Zuko nodded and tried to find a way to cheer up the blind girl. He had never been good at relationships. His own family was a mess and his one relationship with a girl had ended badly.

"Don't worry about him," Zuko said. "There's probably someone else out there for you. You are really pretty, so don't worry about it."

He saw Toph bring her head up slightly and a smile was showing through her bangs. Suddenly, she punched his arm.

"Thanks, Sunshine," she said with a grin. "Your turn."

Zuko frowned as the questioning came back to him. "I've lived through a fire myself, and that's all you're going to get."

Toph nodded. "Thanks. I think I need to get back to studying. Let's head back."

Zuko nodded and walked with Toph back to their houses. He quizzed her slightly on history as they walked, glad that she was feeling better. He didn't understand why he had been so worried about her. He hadn't been worried about anyone in a long time, and he barely knew her. But he felt a connection to Toph, and he respected her.

"Thanks again, Sunshine," Toph said when they reached her house. 'If you need anything, just give me a call. Even if you need a punching bag."

Toph grinned up at him and Zuko found himself smiling back. "Yeah, likewise."

Toph turned to head into her house and Zuko remembered their other tests the coming week.

"Hey," he called. "After tomorrow, you want to study math and chemistry?"

"Why? Are you good at chemistry?" Toph said as she turned back with her door slightly open.

"Decent," Zuko replied.

"Sounds good," Toph said with a smile before heading into her house.

Zuko watched her door until it was closed before heading back into his house and to his room. He passed his uncle who was playing Pai Sho with a few friends and made his way to his room to study English and history.


	5. Club Meeting

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading. Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

Chapter 5

The next couple of days went pretty smoothly for Zuko. Toph didn't seem down anymore and said she probably got a B on history. Zhou's test wasn't as hard as everyone made it out to be, and studying for math and chemistry actually went smoother than studying for biology. Zuko found that he was a mediocre chemistry student, but Toph had molecule models that really helped. Toph was a great math student, and he was nearly at her level. She just had had more time to study it than he did.

Hanging out with Aang, Sokka and Katara was getting easier since Jet was suspended, but they were still wary of him. But Zuko found himself letting his guard down around Toph. Every time he caught himself ready to answer a question or remark on something that he had experienced before, he stopped and saw Toph give her mischievous little smirk. He knew she was waiting him out, and he knew he was getting too comfortable with her. But it was so easy to fall into a pattern. He studied her as he followed her and her friends to the gym after school on Wednesday.

Toph was laughing with Sokka about who they expected to be at the first martial arts club meeting, while Katara and Aang walked in front of them, talking quietly. Toph would occasionally turn her head back towards Zuko as if she were listening to make sure he was still there and then give a little smirk. Every time she did it, he would frown at her, but every so often, he caught himself smiling at her. He knew he had to stop. The last time he had gotten comfortable with someone, they had blown his cover and he and his uncle had had to move immediately.

Toph must have heard the doors start to open as they approached the gym, for she smiled at Mr. Jeong as he held one of the doors open for the group.

"Good afternoon," the teacher said to them, smiling at each one as they passed him on their way into the gym.

They found the gym empty of people, but there were mats already on the floor, waiting for the club to start. Zuko thought that maybe he could get out of the club if no one showed up, but then people started coming in twos and threes. The scarred teen leaned against the far wall as Aang spoke with Katara, Sokka, and Toph in front of him.

"Well, I was going to have it at my place," Aang was saying. "But Gyatso is having a meeting that night with some of the heads of the museum. This is a big thing, and I wanted to have a costume party. I mean, how often is it that Halloween falls on a Friday?"

"We could ask our dad," Sokka said. "And maybe we could do it at our place."

Zuko watched with a frown as Aang seemed to get super cheerful, almost to the point of tears. Toph seemed to sense Zuko's mood and smirked back at him as Aang almost bounced on his toes.

"Easy, Twinkles," Toph said as she grabbed Aang's arm. "They still have to ask their dad. And then you can get excited. But…I don't know. A costume party? It's your birthday, not a masquerade."

"Yeah, but it's on Halloween!" Aang nearly cried as Zuko saw many other people enter the gym and huddle in their groups as Mr. Jeong welcomed them all. "I mean, what's wrong with having a Halloween birthday party?"

"First," Toph stated, frowning, "costumes. Second, who are you going to invite? The whole school?!"

"No," Aang said, waving it off. "Only the people we know and like."

"What's wrong, Toph?" Katara asked in a teasing voice. "Don't you like costumes?"

Zuko turned to see Toph actually glaring at her friend before he saw the blind girl turn towards him. He frowned at her as he saw the wheels turning in her head before she turned back to Katara with a small smile.

"I don't like costumes cause I don't see the point of them," Toph stated. "And I won't go if Sunshine doesn't."

Katara was about to remark, but Mr. Jeong spoke up at that time.

"Welcome all martial artists," Mr. Jeong said to the assembled students. Zuko noticed that the teacher had moved himself between Toph and her friends and the other students. "We accept all styles, all levels, and this is a club intended to learn about other martial art forms, improve ourselves, and learn from others."

Mr. Jeong moved to the side and Zuko frowned as he saw Hahn surrounded by two bigger juniors. Most likely his cronies. "These students are nearly masters of their arts," the teacher said as he waved his arm to gesture to Zuko, Toph, Sokka, Katara and Aang. "And they will be assisting me in helping you become better and showing you the different styles. We will meet here every Wednesday after school and I have been able to schedule two martial arts competitions later in the year. Anyone who wishes to participate in this club must have their parent or guardian sign a permission slip. Any questions?"

Zuko moved his gaze away from Hahn as he noticed the icy eyed junior catch his eye and saw Smellerbee and Longshot in the gym as well as Jin, Song and a couple of other teens he didn't really know, but knew he had classes with them. A girl shot her hand into the air and Mr. Jeong turned to her and smiled.

"Yes, Meng?"

The girl stepped forward and Zuko almost stared at how her braided hair stuck out from her head.

"Yeah," the girl said shyly. "The flyer also said we could learn some self defense. Will we?"

"Of course, Meng," Mr. Jeong said gently. "All styles have self defense moves, and some are more defensive than others. Yes, Hahn. What is your question?"

Zuko turned to see Hahn frowning at him before turning a straight face to the teacher. "Why do we have to learn from a crazy new guy and a blind girl?"

Zuko stood off the wall and scowled at Hahn as he saw Toph tense up and frown at the spoiled brat. Mr. Jeong simply turned to them and smiled.

"Zuko, Toph, perhaps you two could give us a demonstration of your skill. Nothing fancy or fast. Just a simple spar."

Zuko almost stopped and stared at the teacher, ready to back out, but Toph seemed to relax and smiled back at him.

"Sure thing, Mr. Jeong," she said as she moved onto the mat and turned to face Zuko. "Just a simple spar."

Zuko saw her at ease and relaxed and willed himself to calm down before he joined her on the mat. She sank into a horse stance in front of him and he dropped into his own stance.

"Just like, Friday," she whispered as she grinned at him. Zuko nodded, and reminded himself to keep it simple and slow.

He started to punch in as the teacher explained that Toph was a master of Hung Gar, a southern Chinese style while Zuko was proficient in Shaolin, a northern Chinese style. Zuko relaxed more as he and Toph jabbed and kicked at each other, blocking each other easily as they stepped up the pace slowly. He grabbed her arm as he had at her house on Friday as Mr. Jeong explained that Shaolin was a more aggressive style, but still had many defensive moves, and Toph spun with her arm, kicking Zuko in the stomach before grabbing his arm and twisting it.

Mr. Joeng continued to explain that Hung Gar was almost equally offensive and defensive as Zuko ducked under Toph's arm and tried to kick her feet out from under her. She jumped over and he jabbed in and grabbed her throat.

"Relax," she whispered to him as she felt him try to take his hand away from her throat. They had both heard the sudden intake of breath from the entire group, but Zuko willed himself to relax and start to punch towards Toph's face.

Just as she had showed him in his own garage on Friday, Toph grabbed his incoming arm in a flash, and rolled backwards as she kicked her feet into his middle and flipped him over her. As they tumbled, Zuko managed to get one arm loose of Toph's iron grip and tried to get out of the hold. She felt it, and grabbed it again as she landed on his stomach and brought his hands together as she readied her right hand to punch him with the heel of her hand.

"And that is why they are both going to help me," Mr. Jeong said as Toph grinned down at Zuko.

"And I've pinned you," Toph whispered to Zuko. He simply smirked up at her and she seemed surprised that he hadn't relaxed and yielded.

"Not yet," he said with a smile as he brought his legs up and wrapped them under her arms and around her shoulders before pushing her off of him and onto her back.

Toph rolled backwards, out of his range, and Zuko jumped back to his feet in a fighting stance. He watched her, sure she would come in for another attack, but she merely stood and bowed to him. Zuko returned the bow and turned to watch Mr. Jeong. The teacher was frowning at Hahn, who had raised his hand again.

"I don't see what's so special about that," Hahn said with a hint of disgust in his tone. "I bet I could beat him."

Mr. Jeong simply turned to Zuko and questioned the scarred teen with the raise of one eyebrow. Zuko knew the teacher was asking if he would commit to showing Hahn how good he was and Zuko nodded once. Hahn needed a lesson in respect.

"Very well, Mr. Du-moss," Mr. Jeong stated calmly back to Hahn. "If you can defeat my assistant honorably, you can assist me as well."

Hahn almost smirked in a superior way as he kicked his shoes off and made his way onto the mat. Zuko moved to meet him, but Toph caught his arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" Toph hissed at him. "The dumbass is mine!"

"Not today," Zuko remarked, but Mr. Jeong turned back towards him and Toph and smiled.

"Miss Katara," the teacher said as he suddenly turned to Katara. "Would you care to show Mr. Du-moss why I've chosen you as an assistant?"

Katara beamed and made her way to the mat as Hahn stopped and stared.

"No!" Hahn shouted. "I want to face the new guy!"

"We don't always get what we want," Mr. Jeong stated calmly as he turned back to Hahn. "And you are a student of Tai Chi, just as Katara is. Therefore, you will face Katara." Zuko watched as Hahn hesitated, seeming to weigh his options. "Or you can leave," Mr. Jeong finished.

Hahn scowled at the teacher, but nodded and stepped onto the mat. "I can beat any girl easily," Hahn remarked in a superior tone to which all the girls in the gym frowned or scowled at Hahn.

Zuko stepped back and watched as Katara beat the junior up in less than a minute, pinning him effectively. Mr. Jeong then proceeded to explain Tai Chi and Bagua as he had Sokka and Aang spar each other before splitting the thirty or so students up into three groups. The first group which mostly consisted of shy looking girls he had Katara help. They seemed to be all beginners and there mostly for the self defense. The second group was middle ranged, with some skills, though un-honed or rusty. These included Hahn, and the teacher had Aang and Sokka supervise while the last group Toph and Zuko supervised. The small group of five included Smellerbee and Longshot along with a senior in Zuko's English class, a sophomore and a freshman. They were all highly skilled and immediately started talking about how good Toph and Zuko had been.

"That was amazing!" Smellerbee said and Zuko let a smile tug at his mouth as he saw Toph blush. "You guys are great. Have you sparred together much?"

"Just once before today," Toph said as she turned to smile at Zuko before turning back to the five in front of her. "But enough about us. What are you guys good at and why are you here? Also, say your name, for those of us who don't know you."

Smellerbee and Longshot turned to smile at Zuko before Smellerbee stepped forward to start.

"I'm June," she said as she waved to the other girl and two guys. "But I go by Smellerbee, and this is my boyfriend, Johnny. He goes by Longshot." Longshot waved once, but never spoke up. "We both study a mix of Hung Gar and Tai Chi. I've also done Tai Kwon Do and kickboxing. We're here to see other styles, learn from others and just get away from schoolwork."

That brought a chuckle from the other three that Zuko didn't really know as Toph turned to them. The senior Zuko had English was a big guy. He was mostly likely a football player just by his sheer size, easily a foot taller than Zuko and looked like he had two hundred pounds on the scarred teen.

"I'm Chuck," the big guy said in a really deep voice. "And I'm here because Smellerbee and Longshot made me come. I learned some Hung Gar as a kid when I was really little. That's why my friends still call me Pipsqueak." Smellerbee, Longshot and Toph all smirked at the big guy, but he ignored them and continued. "And I'm here to learn more, and I'm especially interested in Bagua. A big guy like me can easily overpower anyone, but I don't like hurting anyone if I can help it."

The group turned to the sophomore, a girl with brown hair and eyes who smiled shyly at Chuck and Zuko.

"I'm Angie," the girl said quietly. "And I've been learning Shaolin from my grandfather for as long as I can remember. I started learning much more since I moved here closer to him a few years ago, but I don't think I'm nearly as good as you, Zuko." Zuko was startled as she smiled up at him and blushed slightly. The scarred teen noticed Toph start to frown, so he leaned away from the girl as she continued. "I would like to learn more about other the other styles, but also more about Shaolin."

"Who's your grandfather?" Toph asked as she smiled at Angie. Zuko could tell it was not quite as sincere a smile as it could have been, but she seemed to be relaxing more.

"Mr. Jeong," Angie said, pointing to the gym teacher correcting a few stances on the beginners. "He's been here forever and I'm glad my dad found a job near him three years ago."

Toph smiled and nodded before turning to the freshman, a small boy, even smaller than Aang or Toph with green eyes and messed up brown hair.

"Me?" the boy asked and Chuck and Smellerbee held back laughs as the boy's voice broke. "I'm Lee. And I've learned a little of everything, but I'd have to say I've learned more Hung Gar than anything else. My brother taught me a lot and let me follow him to classes before he joined the army last year. I'd like to learn more, and I know I can be a lot better than I am."

The group turned to Zuko and the scarred teen frowned slightly as he saw Toph smirking. "I'm Zuko, and I learned Shaolin from my uncle. It's dangerous, but I've been told I'm good. I won't teach it, but I will improve your moves and stances. Toph dragged me into this."

He saw Toph blush slightly as the five turned their attention to the blind girl and she smiled up at them.

"If you didn't know, I'm Toph, and I study Hung Gar. Yeah, I dragged Sunshine here, and all my friends have nicknames. I will push you if you can be better, and sometimes I'll push you guys no matter what. I think we're out of time, but this is going to be fun."

Zuko glanced at Mr. Jeong and saw the teacher move to the center of the gym before calling out to everyone.

"Thank you all for coming to this first meeting," he said in a loud voice that carried throughout the gym. "Make sure you have that permission slip signed. Anyone who does not have it signed by Halloween will not be able to participate in the meetings or tournaments. Thank you again for coming and I shall see you all later."

Most of the students immediately fell into their groups and left talking excitedly. Zuko held back as Toph joked and talked with Smellerbee, Longshot and Pipsqueak for a while as Sokka and Aang cautiously approached the scarred teen.

"So, are you going to come?" Aang asked Zuko.

Zuko merely frowned at Aang and the younger boy shrank back slightly.

"Well, at least are you going to come to the movies Saturday?" Sokka asked with a wry grin. "Spiderman this weekend."

"Can't," Zuko muttered.

"Why not?" Toph asked as she walked up to the boys.

Zuko turned his frown to the blind girl, but she remained silent and continued to smile at him.

"What about you, Toph?" Sokka asked as he turned to the blind girl.

"Nah, family stuff. My parents are both off this Saturday, so they've been planning the 'family togetherness' for the past month. But maybe Sunday. Both of the parentals are flying out of town then."

"Aw," Sokka whined. "Sunday's no good for Katara and me. Our dad is off, too. Well, maybe next weekend.

"Well, I guess this weekend's a bust," Aang sighed. "Sokka, I can still go with you and Katara on Saturday. But then I have to study for geometry on Sunday. But what about my birthday?" Aang turned his innocent grey eyes back to Toph and Zuko. "Will you guys come? Please?"

Zuko frowned again at the cheerful sophomore, but not as severely as he had before. He glanced at Toph standing next to him and saw her face turned up towards him, questioning him with her unfocused eyes.

"I don't know," Zuko finally sighed as he was scrutinized by three sets of eyes. "Its three weeks away, let me think about it."

That response seemed to please Aang, as he smiled and Sokka relaxed a bit. Toph dropped her head, but Zuko saw her frown slightly before her bangs hid her features. He started to smirk. Maybe he would go to the party, just to make Toph uncomfortable like she had made him so many times.

"Well, I gotta go," Sokka said suddenly as he glanced at his watch. "Dad will kill me if I make Katara late for her dance lesson. See you guys."

Sokka turned and waved before going directly to his sister, and then proceeded to herd her out of the gym. Aang waved back to the senior before turning back to Toph and Zuko. "I have to leave too," Aang said. "Gyatso should be here for me."

"Catch you later, Twinkles," Toph said with a smile before turning to Zuko. "So, ready to walk home?"

"Yeah," Zuko muttered as he went to grab his backpack.

Toph met him at the gym door after he had seen her say goodbye to Mr. Jeong. As Smellerbee called out a goodbye to Toph, Hahn passed them both along with his two cronies that looked similar to the snotty teen, though much larger. Hahn scowled at Zuko as one of the arrogant junior's friends brushed by Zuko, bumping the scarred teen's shoulder. Zuko felt his anger rise within him and almost struck out at the big, brown haired junior, but Toph caught his arm.

"Relax," she hissed to him. She kept his arm at his side until he took a deep breath and just glared back at Hahn and his friends. Toph let his arm go as discreetly as she could and Zuko noticed that Hahn's blue eyes darted down at her hand on his arm. The junior scowled even more before smiling sweetly at Toph.

"See you tomorrow, Toph," Hahn said with his charming smile. Zuko just continued to frown at the junior as Toph turned her face up to frown at Hahn.

She remained silent until Hahn and his cronies had left before walking out of the gym. Zuko followed her, still angry with Hahn.

XXXXX

Toph could almost feel the anger radiating off of Zuko as he followed her out of the school. She couldn't blame him, she was angry with the dumbass as well. She had heard Hahn remark to his friends on how Zuko could have possibly gotten his scar during the club meeting. Each suggestion had gotten worse and Toph had wished she could close her ears. She herself was curious about Zuko's scar, but even she wasn't coarse enough to remark on it after the warning he had given in his tone on his first day. As she felt the cool breeze on her face and the fading warmth of the setting sun, she decided to change the topic and help relax Zuko.

"Sunshine, what are the acids again?"

"They're the molecules with the lowest pH," Zuko remarked, and Toph noticed he was getting calmer, though anger still made it into his tone.

"Yeah, but remind me of the strongest."

"Hydrochloric acid is one of the strongest," Zuko replied. "They're the ones that have only one spot open for the hydrogen."

"Yeah, but what are they?" Toph asked innocently as they turned onto one of the streets that led to their neighborhood.

She was surprised as Zuko became silent. He usually answered questions on chemistry.

"No, you tell me," Zuko said. His tone held a slight smile in it and a challenge as if he were testing her. "Come on Toph, you know these. Think."

Toph racked her brain as they walked to remember the periodic table. "Well, chlorine for sure. Above that is fluoride, and then below that is, uh, iodine, and ….um, bromine?"

"Good, but what else?" Zuko asked and Toph knew he was feeling better as she became frustrated over the last one. He gave her another question to ponder as she tried to remember the last element in that line. "And what are they called?"

She sent a quick glare his way and was sure he was smiling at finally finding a way to stump her.

"They're called halogens," Toph stated with a frown as she remembered the last element. "And the last, most uncommon is Astatine. Now, what's the other name for a base?"

"Alkalis, which have a pH above 7, the strongest being closest to 14," Zuko answered easily.

"Fine," Toph growled to which Zuko chuckled lightly. She was glad he was in a better mood, even if she was in a sour one because of chemistry. She decided to change the subject again as they turned into their neighborhood to get herself in a better mood.

"So, what are you doing this weekend that you can't hang out?" she asked him.

She heard his steps stiffen and his clothes move as if his posture had straightened and become rigid.

"Family stuff," he muttered. Toph frowned as his tone became guarded again, so she decided to make light of it.

"Hanging out with your uncle? That must be cool. He really cares for you."

"No," Zuko said before he retreated into silence. "Not that," he finally stated as they turned onto their street. "Toph, just drop it for now, ok? I need to study for these tests."

"Yeah, we both do," Toph said with ease. "Come on, math first and then chem."

She led the way to her house, almost disappointed that he had not confided in her, but she knew she was getting close. Sometimes too close, and she knew he knew that as well. She wanted to be there for him, to help him with all the rage, anger and resentment he seemed to have stored within himself, but she knew she was baring herself at the same time and that scared her. But Toph knew that he felt the same way, and that with time, they would both be ok.


	6. Family Day

A/N: Thank you everyone for being so patient and to my betas, DeepAzulaEyes and AStormisBrewing. If you guys could pray for them, they are super busy right now, and yet they still have the time and want to beta for me and help me improve my writing. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

Chapter 6

Zuko woke early as he usually did, but he just flopped back onto his bed. It was Friday, and that meant two tests. Sighing, he got up and made his way to the garage. He scowled at the broken punching bag still lying in the corner and instead went through the basic forms to warm up and stretch his muscles. He heard his uncle doing something in the kitchen as he moved onto some of the more advanced forms Iroh had taught him. He was already dripping in sweat, but he felt better already. The workout wasn't nearly as relaxing as the punching bag, but it did keep him in top form.

"It's not about the muscle, but the breath and movement," Iroh said from behind Zuko as the scarred teen tried a complex move and punched out as hard as he could.

"I know, Uncle," Zuko said as he moved to kick towards an imaginary opponent's face.

"Then why do you always make the same error?" Iroh asked.

Zuko stopped before moving into the next form and looked back at his uncle. The older man was holding a cup of steaming tea and watching Zuko shrewdly. The scarred teen scowled at his uncle as he grabbed one of the small towels he kept there and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"You know why," Zuko said as he started to head into the house.

Iroh moved so that his nephew couldn't pass him and narrowed his golden brown eyes at the teen. "Sheer force will never accomplish your goals, Zuko. Never forget that. I have taught you more than I have ever taught him. But you still are like him, always using force…"

"I am nothing like him!" Zuko yelled into Iroh's face.

Iroh merely sighed and took a sip of tea and he stayed in the doorway as Zuko took a deep breath to try and calm down. He knew Iroh never approved of letting anger rule, and he knew that he had to apologize to his uncle before he could get out of the garage.

"Forgive me Uncle," Zuko said calmly. "I shouldn't have shouted."

Zuko watched as his uncle nodded and sympathy and compassion came into Iroh's eyes and face.

"You are forgiven, Nephew. And I understand, but you must be more like Toph."

Zuko was surprised that his uncle had brought the blind girl up, and it must have shown on his face since Iroh smiled.

"Yes, more like her," Iroh continued. "Wait and listen before reacting, and never let anger cloud your judgment. Now, go shower so that you are not late."

Zuko nodded as Iroh moved out of the way and then the teen hurried to the shower. Twenty minutes later found Zuko in the kitchen as Iroh poured himself more tea.

"Good luck on your tests today," Iroh said as a knock sounded at the door.

Zuko just nodded and grabbed one more piece of toast before picking up his backpack as he made his way to the door. He opened it and found Toph looking slightly nervous as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"You ok?" he asked as she stepped away from the door so he could exit.

"Yeah…just, the tests," she said as she started walking.

Zuko nodded as he stuffed the last bite of toast into his mouth. Eventually he was able to swallow and talk. "Come on Toph, you know the math better than anyone I've met, and you'll ace chemistry. Relax," he said as he tried to smile at her.

She smiled weakly in response. "Thanks, Sunshine. Hey, what makes up an atom?"

"Neutrons, protons and electrons," Zuko said easily, starting to relax. "What are the patterns of electrons in the rings?"

"Two, then eight and eight in every ring after that," Toph answered. "And only Hydrogen and Helium have just the first ring, but Helium's is full."

Zuko nodded, but Toph still seemed tense. They traded questions back and forth all the way to school. Zuko was still concerned about the blind girl as she left him at English, but he brushed it off as he made his way to the back and took a seat next to Chuck. The big guy nodded and smiled at Zuko before Mr. Pakku came in and started the lesson on grammar and essays. Zuko was still perplexed about Toph's behavior as they studied muscles in biology, but again brushed it off, sure it was worry over the tests. But as they walked out of chemistry, Toph still seemed worried.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Zuko asked as he stepped in front of her outside the cafeteria. "I know you aced math, and if you did at least as well as I did, you got a B in chemistry. Why are you still down?"

Toph turned her head up to Zuko and her face was taught with worry and some fear.

"Nothing," Toph muttered as she tried to smile up at him and move around him.

"Listen, if it's about your parents, I understand a bit," Zuko said before she opened the door to the cafeteria.

A couple of students who were also in their chemistry class hurried through the open door and flashed thank you smiles towards them, but Toph had stopped altogether. Zuko watched her back as she took a deep breath and seemed to relax slightly.

"Thanks, but there's nothing to worry about," she said before she walked into the cafeteria. Zuko followed her and grabbed some pizza before following her to their table. Katara, Sokka and Aang were all talking in an animate way about something, and Zuko heard snatches of costume and Halloween before he sat next to Toph, across from the other three.

"Hey guys," Aang said. "We're thinking about our costumes already. Katara wants to dress as a spirit and Sokka as a warrior. But I can't decide. What are you guys thinking of?"

"Not thinking," Toph replied with a wry grin. "Why should I care about costumes? I can't see them. But for you, I think you should be a monkey. It suits you."

Sokka laughed as Katara and Aang looked at Toph in shock before Aang smiled.

"I think that would be fun," Aang said as he started to grin. The cheerful sophomore turned to Zuko. "What about you, Zuko. What are you thinking if?"

"I'm still thinking of whether I'm going or not," Zuko said calmly before taking a bite out of his pizza.

He noticed Toph looking relieved as the other three started talking about costumes and decorations. Apparently, Sokka and Katara's dad had approved of the party as long as the teens cleaned up afterwards and they made sure no more than forty people were there.

"Well, I was only going to invite about twenty," Aang said, "but that gives me room to invite more."

"Careful Twinkles," Toph said as she finished her pizza. "Some people will bring others and some may show up without invites, so go on the light side."

"She's right," Sokka said. "Remember Haru's beach party on Labor Day? A hundred people showed up to that and he only told forty about it."

Zuko could only smile a little as Aang's face turned pale. Katara moved in quickly and laid a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Don't worry," she told Aang sweetly. "We'll have someone at the door, making sure we don't let too many in. It'll work."

Zuko saw the sophomore blush and then nod quickly as if he could hide it. Zuko then glanced at Toph and saw her smirking. He didn't know how Toph could tell Aang was blushing, but she knew. Lunch ended with Aang still blushing slightly whenever Katara turned towards him and Toph smirking at it. Zuko was surprised as the rest of the day actually went smoothly.

As they walked home, Toph seemed to get worried again. It even got so bad that she was clasping her hands together and then letting them drop to her sides occasionally. Zuko grew tired of it and eventually lost his patience.

"Relax," Zuko finally said. "God, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were afraid of your parents. What's there to worry about?"

"I am not worried," Toph stated firmly as she forced her hands to her sides again. "And I'm not afraid of anything!"

Zuko just watched her as she took a deep breath. They walked in silence for a bit and Zuko nodded to one of his uncle's' Pai Sho friends who was mowing his lawn.

"I'm actually kind of happy and sad about tomorrow," Toph said in a low tone after they had passed the lawn-mowing neighbor. "It's been two months since we've had a family day, but I know they'll overdo it and end up arguing by the end of the day."

Zuko nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He knew what that was like, and worse than that.

"What about you?" Toph asked him. "You seem worried about tomorrow too. I know it's not my business, but, if you need anything, you can call me. I'll take any excuse to get away from my parents by tomorrow afternoon."

Zuko smiled slightly at Toph. "Thanks. I'll be gone most of the day, but…you can call, too."

Toph nodded and smiled slightly back at him as they turned onto their street. They walked in silence for a while, but Zuko could tell she was still slightly nervous.

"They're your parents, and from what I've seen, they love you," Zuko said after a while. He couldn't help the twinge of envy that entered his tone. "Have fun," he said as he turned to his own house.

"Yeah, thanks," Toph said with a smile as she went to her house. Zuko glanced back at her once more from his door and saw her back was straighter as if she had relaxed a bit. She turned her head back to him and smiled once more before opening her door. Zuko caught himself smiling back at her, even though he knew she couldn't see it before heading into his own house. He had some homework and wanted to get it out of the way before the weekend, so he went straight to it.

XXXXX

Toph smiled back at Zuko from her door before opening it and heading inside. She knew her mom was home already from the sounds in the kitchen and the smell of the perfume her mom favored. Toph made her way to her bedroom to drop her backpack off and thought about what Zuko had said. She knew Zuko was worried about her, and it made her feel better, but she also had heard the envy in his tone when he told her that her parents loved her. She wondered again why he lived with just his uncle and what type of family stuff he had to do the next day. She knew she was starting to grow fond of him, and Toph found herself trying to imagine what Zuko looked like before brushing off her fascination with the odd senior as she heard her father enter the house. Quickly changing her baggy, comfortable shirt for a tight, nicer one, Toph made her way to the family room.

"Hello Toph," Jasmine said sweetly as Toph heard her parents separate from a hug and kiss.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," Toph said with a smile before she was wrapped in a hug by her mother.

"Ok," Jasmine said cheerfully as she let Toph go. "Fong has the night off, and we have a nice dinner planned. Family time has officially started!"

Toph sighed and blew the bangs out of her face as she heard her father emit a small sigh as well. Toph knew that she and her dad were similar in many things. Stubbornness, pride, and the unwillingness to show fear were the most common, but also the love for Toph's mother and their silent agreement that they would eat whatever Jasmine set in front of them and act like they loved it. Toph knew her mom wasn't a great cook, but every time they had a family night, her mother insisted on cooking and there was no way to get out of it. Both father and daughter plastered smiles onto their faces and made their way to the dining room to try and be reasonable with each other for as long as they could.

XXXXX

Zuko listened to his iPod as his uncle drove the car early in the morning. He ignored the landscape and buildings flying by them on the freeway as he skipped through songs and played with his cell phone. He had realized that he didn't have a ringtone for Toph an hour into the trip and decided to find one. He started listening to Numb by Linkin Park and the lyrics held him. They reminded him of Toph, but also himself. Smiling slightly, he turned to his phone and put the song under Toph's name.

"What are you thinking of, Nephew?" Iroh asked as they turned onto the off-ramp.

"I found a ringtone for Toph," Zuko replied.

Iroh nodded and smiled in a knowing way. Zuko wondered what his uncle knew, but pushed the thought out of his head. If he asked, Iroh would smile more or answer with a proverb that didn't make any sense. Zuko watched as they drove through the city and finally pulled into the gated entrance to the nursing home. They went to the back and parked close. Iroh exited first as was their custom and after a nod from his uncle, Zuko exited the car and followed his uncle into the home. The smell of old people, disinfectants and medications hit him and he almost gagged at the smell. After three years of hospitals and visiting the nursing home, he was getting used to it, but it was still strong and unpleasant. The teen turned his iPod off and put his phone on vibrate as Iroh talked to the receptionist. After a minute, his uncle turned towards him and smiled.

"You can go see her now," Iroh said.

Zuko nodded and went down the dull white hall like he had so many times before. He knocked on the door as he had for the past three years and heard a faint, "Come in."

Zuko opened the door and saw her in a chair facing the window. Her once beautiful brown hair now had a few grey streaks and when she turned towards him and started to smile, he saw more lines on her face than the last time he had been there. But she also seemed healthier and her color was better than when he was there two months before. He was sad to see her so aged in such a short time. She had once seemed so young and beautiful, even to him, but now…now she looked like she was near Iroh in age.

"Hello Zuko," she said with a warm smile.

"Hi Mom," Zuko said as he went to her and hugged her gently. He felt her stiffen, and kept the hug gentle and short, knowing her back was still tender. Three years of healing and therapy had not taken all the scars away.

"How have you been?" Ursa asked.

"Good," Zuko said as he retreated to the other chair and watched her for any sign of fatigue. He knew she still grew tired easily, and he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. He missed her every day, and wanted every moment to count. "Sorry it's been a while. Uncle and I had to move again."

"That's all right Zuko," she said as she continued to smile and took his hand in hers. "It's been peaceful here, and the doctors say if I keep improving, I may be able to leave in a few months."

"That's great, Mom," Zuko said as he looked down at her hand on his. He noticed that though her skin had once been darker than his, now his was slightly darker, though still pale. Her scars were healing as his had, and she had more strength in her hand as she squeezed his. He was glad she was regaining her strength, but she still seemed so weak. "I'm going to a new school, and I met this weird girl named Toph," Zuko told his mother. "She's blind, but she seems to see better than anyone I've ever met."

Ursa smiled and listened patiently as Zuko told her about the school, Toph, her friends, his fight with Jet and the martial arts club. He started talking with more animation and emotion as the morning went on and he was glad to see his mother smiling at how he described Toph and her friends. She always had a hand on him, and though he never let anyone else be that casual with him, he liked his mother being close and knew she missed him as much or more than he missed her. He decided to make an effort to visit her more often. They talked throughout the morning until Zuko noticed his mother getting tired, though she tried not to show it.

"I should let you rest," Zuko said as he moved to stand.

"I know," Ursa sighed before she smiled up at him. "It sounds as if you like this girl." Zuko was about to protest, but Ursa spoke up first and he saw a twinkle in her brown eyes that he hadn't seen for a long time. "Give it time, dear. And go to the party. I think you'll have fun. Come see me again soon if you can, all right?"

"I will, Mom," Zuko said as he kissed her forehead before kneeling to hug her again. He started to move away, but Ursa held on to him.

"And say hello to your sister for me if you see her anytime soon," Ursa said to him before she let go.

Zuko nodded, but started to frown as he thought about his sister. "If I see her," he said to his mom, trying to hide the frown before he went to the door and called for a nurse.

"She's getting tired," Zuko told the young man who came. The man nodded, went into the room and started to help Ursa from her chair to the bed. Zuko smiled once more to his mother as she smiled at him before he went to the lobby and found Iroh talking with one of the doctors on site.

"She is getting better," he heard the doctor say, "But her lungs and trachea were burned severely by the hot air of the fire she was in. Perhaps four months at her current rate of healing, but if she has another retreat, it may be a year before she can leave."

Zuko saw Iroh nodding sadly before he spotted Zuko. "Ah, Nephew," Iroh said with a smile. "How is she doing?"

"Good," Zuko remarked as he frowned at the doctor. "But she got tired. Is there anything you can do to help her?"

The doctor just gave a sad, sympathetic look. "We're doing all we can, son. Her body is working as hard as it can to repair. It's a miracle she survived the fire and smoke inhalation. I heard you saved her?"

Zuko nodded but deepened his frown. "Don't call me son," he growled at the doctor before turning to Iroh. "I'm ready to go, Uncle."

Iroh nodded, knowing where the conversation would go if they stayed. Iroh led the way out and Zuko turned his iPod on and the volume up as they got into the car for the long trip back. Iroh didn't bother to question Zuko as the teen sulked. Zuko's mind unwillingly turned to the memories of the fire and the cause of it and the only thing he wanted to do was hit something. As they finally pulled into their driveway, Zuko found Toph's number and called it.

XXXXX

Toph was in her room as her parents started packing for their trips. The day had gone more smoothly than most, but had still ended with her parents arguing by mid-afternoon. They were arguing over something silly; who would take who to the airport. Toph sighed and turned the volume up of her iPod until she heard another tone. Her phone was going off beside her and she pulled her headphones out to hear Breaking the Habit. Smiling at Zuko's ringtone, she picked up the phone and answered.

"Hey, Sunshine. What's up?"

"Toph, can I use your punching bag?" Zuko asked in a strained voice.

"Yeah, come on over," Toph said and heard him hang up his phone. She hurried to her front door and opened it when she heard him step onto the porch.

"Thanks," he muttered as he passed her and walked quickly to the dojo.

Toph followed him and sat next to the door as she heard him start punching and kicking the large bag with more rage and power than she had ever heard him display before. She wondered what had happened and what she could do to help besides letting him kill her punching bag. She knew that when she felt that way, all she wanted to do was get away to a peaceful place and think things over after taking out her anger on something. After at least a half hour of Zuko taking out his frustration on the bag, he finally stopped and Toph almost swore she heard a sob escape the odd senior. But then he seemed back in control as he stepped back from the bag and turned to walk over and sit next to her.

"Phew," she said as she waved her hand over her face as the smell of his sweat reached her. She grabbed a towel and tossed it at him. "Remind me to wait till you clean up after something like that," she said with a smile as she heard him catch the towel and wipe his face with it. They both retreated into silence and Toph thought of the one place she retreated to whenever she felt depressed. She had never taken anyone there, but maybe it would be good for him. She heard Zuko sigh and she smiled at him. "Come on, I have something else that will help."

She heard Zuko nod before they got up and he followed her out of the dojo in silence.

"Wait here," she said as they reached the entryway. She heard his hair move against his shirt as he nodded and she went to her parent's room. "Mom, Dad, I'm going to the beach with Zuko. I'll be back later and I have my phone."

"Ok, dear," Jasmine said as Lao turned serious. "And what will you two be doing?" he asked.

"Just talking," Toph said. "He's my friend, and I'm worried about him. I'll be at the rocks."

"Ok, but be careful," both parents said at the same time.

Toph nodded and hurried back to Zuko who was starting to get impatient.

"We're going to the beach, to a special spot for me," Toph said as she opened the door and led the way out.

Zuko followed her silently as they walked to the beach and then Toph turned away from the smoothie place and led the way to a rock cluster at the base of a cliff. She was worried about Zuko, and her mind kept trying to think about what could have happened to him. Did someone die? Was someone hurt, or was it his mysterious past bugging him?

"What is this place?" Zuko asked as she started climbing the rocks.

"This is my favorite place to just sit and think," Toph said as she stopped to smile back at him. "Come on, this is really nice." She then reached up and felt the next handhold as she heard Zuko follow her. She ducked under a ridge to go into the cave she had found and heard Zuko stop.

"Toph? Where are you?" he asked, worry starting to creep into his tone.

She backed out and waved a hand near her foot. "Here, Sunshine. Come on, I know you can fit. Only really big guys can't fit here."

She heard him start to move towards her as she started to head back up and into the rock cave. As she reached it, she moved further into the cave and felt the tranquil peace the place gave her as she felt a little bit of sunlight on her coming from the large crack that faced the shore. She heard Zuko enter and then his sudden intake of breath as he turned to look around the cave.

"Why'd you bring me here?" he asked, awe in his tone as he continued to move around before he faced her.

"It's my secret place," Toph said as she moved to one of the ledges in the back and sat on it. "I don't know why, but I thought you would like it. I used to come here when I ran away as a kid, and then just to think after I argued with my parents. Well, mostly with my dad. It helps me clear my mind and reflect. You sounded like you needed to think about something."

"No, not really," Zuko said as he moved to sit next to her. Toph frowned as the edge came back to his voice that was there when he had called her and thanked her for letting him use the dojo. He sighed and leaned back against the rock behind them. "I'm trying not to think of it and I can't stop. That's the problem."

Toph just nodded and sat in silence with him as his breathing started to even out as he calmed down. She started to smile, knowing the peace the place brought her was affecting him too.

"Can you describe this place?" Toph asked after a while.

"What?" Zuko asked, confused.

"Describe this place. You're the first person I've ever brought here, and it sounded like it was breathtaking. Literally," she said with a smirk.

Zuko chuckled lightly. "It is. It's dark coming up and then when I got up here, I didn't expect this big open cavern. The walls are smooth and sparkle as the light comes in from the west. The sun leaves this warm tone on the rock walls, turning them golden and making some of the quartz sparkle. There's also a small hole in the top letting in a little light and it's just…beautiful," he finally breathed.

"Wow, I didn't expect you to be the poetic artist. That's more Snoozles' arena," she said as she smiled at Zuko.

"I'm not," Zuko said with a smile. "I'm more the math and science kind of guy."

"Me too," Toph laughed. "Well, girl, not guy. Be careful, Snoozles is in the lead for valedictorian. You might actually give him a run for his money."

"Sokka?" Zuko asked, incredulous. "I would never figure him as a brain. More of a jock."

Toph laughed at the thought of Sokka being a dumb jock. "I thought so too when I first met him, but he's great at writing and literature, and then at math and sciences. He's struggled with history, but aces everything. He even invents stuff on the side."

"I'll just be lucky to actually finish a semester," Zuko sighed. "It's getting late, we should get back."

Toph sighed and nodded before she got up to lead the way out of the cave. Once she was on the sand, Toph waited until she heard Zuko jump down next to her. They started walking back in silence, but Zuko stopped before they stepped off of the sand and back onto their street,

"What is it?" Toph asked as she heard him turn away.

"Just watching the sun set," Zuko said with a shrug before he started walking again.

Toph nodded and caught up with him. "Well, at least you sound better. How do you feel?"

"Better," Zuko said, though Toph was puzzled that he kept his tone flat and there was no smile. He should have been smiling if he felt better.

"I saw my mom today," Zuko whispered as they neared their houses.

"Really?" Toph asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah, I think she'd like you." He paused for a second and Toph waited patiently as they arrived at his house. "I'll see you later Toph," he said calmly though Toph heard the edge in his tone.

"Yeah, see you," Toph said with a smile as she heard him walk away and head into his house.

She made her way into her house and to her room, thinking about Zuko. The mystery always seemed to be getting bigger, even when he let small pieces out. From his tone, Toph knew Zuko cared for his mom, as much or more than he cared for his uncle. But then why was he so angry? And why wasn't his mom with him? Toph growled with frustration of not knowing, but, as she jumped onto her bed to put her headphones in again, she knew he was letting her in. All she had to do was wait just a little bit longer.


	7. Jet

A/N: Thank you all for being so patient

A/N: Thank you all for being so patient. You can blame brain farts, and yes, I'm a 28 year old woman who just said brain farts. ) Love is Blind will be up shortly once I finish the chapter, so her is Fight Ch 7. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! Thank you!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

Chapter 7

Zuko walked to school alongside Toph. She seemed quieter than usual, but he figured it had to do with what he told her on Saturday. He didn't even know why he had told her, but just being alone with her in the cave had made him want to tell her everything. But he knew that would be dangerous, for both of them. They passed a group of students on the steps who stopped talking to look at them before falling into whispers as they passed the group.

"Be careful," Toph said as they walked up the last few steps. "Jet's back and word is that he wants revenge."

Zuko scowled, but remained silent as they walked inside and towards his English class. Just before they reached it, Jet stepped in front of Zuko. The scarred teen tried to move around Jet, but Jet moved again to get in front of Zuko as Toph stopped next to him. The two seniors frowned at each other and the halls turned silent as golden eyes met brown.

"What do you want?" Zuko asked, trying not to growl.

Jet frowned for a second longer before his eyes moved to glance past Zuko before they met the scarred teen's eyes again and Jet smiled.

"Just wanted to see if you're still tough," Jet replied with his easy smile. "But," he whispered as he narrowed his eyes at Zuko, "don't interfere with me again."

Jet moved as if to walk away, but Zuko moved to cut him off. "Then don't ever push a woman against her will," Zuko said in a low, dangerous tone. "Because if you ever try to hurt a woman again, I'll make sure you suffer."

Leaving Jet looking shocked, Zuko moved past him and walked towards his own English class. He noticed Toph had to catch up with him and seemed to be studying him as the halls became alive with the heated whispers of gossip.

"Good for you," Toph said with a grin as they reached his class. "Now don't get into any more trouble, because there's a dissection in biology."

Zuko just nodded and went into the class and sat in the back. Chuck, who Toph only ever called Pipsqueak, sat next to him and Zuko tilted his head forward to let his hair shield his scar and face from the big senior.

"I just want to say good job," the big guy whispered as low as he could. "Jet's never been easy to stand up to, but you're right. He's taken far too much of a liking to Katara and he needs to back off. I may be his friend, but I'll back you in any fight against him over this matter."

Zuko glanced up and saw Chuck smiling down at him with a huge grin. He nodded once, feeling better, but continued to let his hair shield him and his scar as the class filled and many people glanced back at him until Mr. Pokku entered and took charge of the class. The rest of the morning moved the same way, though biology was more laid back since they were dissecting a pigeon. Toph made him smile as she made coarse jokes about the bird and organs and tried to get Aang into the dissection. Zuko became tense again as he walked out of chemistry with Toph and towards the cafeteria. Lunch was the only time he actually saw Jet and he hoped the spiky haired senior would leave him alone.

As they entered, Zuko saw Jet sitting with Smellerbee, Longshot, Chuck and a few others. Jet seemed unhappy and Zuko saw why when he spotted Mr. Pokku and Mr. Jeong talking in a relaxed way between Jet's table and Toph's usual table. Relaxing a little, Zuko got his lunch and followed Toph throughout the quiet cafeteria. All eyes followed him and he nodded back to the two teachers as they nodded to him.

"Wow, you made quite the impression," Sokka said as Zuko and Toph sat.

"Yeah, I hate it," Zuko muttered.

Toph laughed, and the sound echoed through the cafeteria until normal conversation struck up among all the other tables. Zuko glanced over at her and saw her grinning as her laugh died down to a chuckle.

"Ah, come on Sunshine. The attention's not that bad. Kind of reminds me of when I started school and broke Frank Boulder's nose. He's Mr. Boulder's son. My history teacher. I got sent to the principal's office and nobody except Twinkles, Snoozles and Sweetness would talk to me for two weeks in case I might hit them too."

"Yeah, and we only talked to you so that you wouldn't hit us for not talking to you," Sokka told Toph with a smirk.

Zuko watched as Katara smacked her brother on the back of the head to which Aang winced and Toph started laughing again.

"Thanks, Sweetness," Toph said before starting on her lunch.

Zuko watched through his hair as Katara blushed before looking at Zuko shyly.

"I never said thank you," she told him. Zuko nodded, but Katara continued. "And what you said this morning to him, that was really impressive. Thank you, for everything."

The scarred teen looked up at her and nodded again. "No problem," he muttered as he saw Toph frowning next to him. "How did you hear it?"

He noticed Toph blush slightly as Aang and Sokka grinned.

"The whole school knows," Aang said. "Word just got around from the people who were there. Everyone seemed to know before first period even started, and I got it confirmed by Toph in biology."

"And the teachers are here to make sure Jet doesn't try anything," Sokka said in a whisper.

Zuko nodded again. He had already guessed that. He ignored other questions on the subject and soon the others took the hint and started talking about classes and the martial arts club. They tried to steer clear of talking about Jet, but Sokka and Aang kept going back to him and how the reaction of the club would be if Jet showed up. Near the end of lunch, Zuko got fed up with the talk and left to head to history early.

XXXXX

Toph knew Zuko didn't like hearing about Jet, and when he left before lunch ended, she wanted to follow him, but she knew, this time, he really needed to be alone. Also, Katara moved and slid next to her in Zuko's empty spot as Sokka and Aang started talking about martial arts and Aang trying out for the track team.

"So, what's up between you and Zuko?" Katara asked Toph quietly.

"Nothing," Toph muttered in a low voice.

"Come on, Toph," Katara said sweetly. "I've seen you frown whenever a girl gets too close to him, even me. Do you like him?"

"He's my friend, nothing else," Toph stated.

"Ok…then what would you do if someone suddenly kissed Zuko?"

Toph tried to say she wouldn't care, but the response stuck in her throat. She imagined someone like Jin kissing Zuko and she instantly wanted to rip Jin's head off.

"I'd kill them," Toph growled. She tried to keep it in a tone so low Katara wouldn't hear, but, by the junior's giggle, Katara had heard.

"Then you like him. Relax Toph, and enjoy it. I think he likes you too. At least you're the only one he's comfortable with. I've only seen him smile around you. Has he even hinted that he likes you?"

"No," Toph sighed. "I'm still figuring him out. He's had a hard life."

"Yeah, he seems the strong quiet type under all that attitude," Katara giggled.

"What are you two talking about?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing," Toph growled. She was never more thankful for the bell than right then. "Got history, see you guys," she said as she grabbed her backpack and darted out of the cafeteria.

As she walked to history, she thought about Zuko and what Katara had suggested. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe she did like Zuko. Every time a girl had talked to Zuko, she had become uncomfortable, even when Katara had thanked him for standing up to Jet. And Zuko seemed to pick up on her feelings. That was kind of freaky, but she could read him as well, though he was the most confusing person she had ever met. As soon as she thought she had gotten him down, the mystery got bigger. And as soon as she thought he would confide in her, he did, but then he didn't. It was so frustrating! And yet, it was kind of nice that he did let his guard down around her and confide in her a little. But what if it was just another crush, like what she had with Sokka? She didn't want to go through the heartbreak again.

"Just forget about him," Toph muttered to herself as she reached her history class.

She tried to focus on the lecture, but the continental congresses and confederation were boring. Her thoughts kept straying to Zuko and she again tried to think of what he might look like. Apparently a lot of other girls thought he was really handsome, but Toph just wanted to know what shape his face was. She knew her face was round, so was Aang's. Katara and Sokka's were longer, but each person's face seemed to fit their personality. From what she had heard from her friends, nearly half of Zuko's face was covered by his scar. Toph had never asked anyone to describe it to her. Instead, she wanted to wait for Zuko to tell her.

She was caught daydreaming as Mr. Boulder called on her. "Toph, what year was George Washington inaugurated as the first president?"

"I don't know," Toph stated.

"Then learn it," Mr. Boulder said to her with a frown before he turned to the whole class. "Because Miss Toph has been negligent, there will be quiz tomorrow."

The class groaned just as the bell rang and Toph hurried out and to the locker room. She almost didn't hear someone saying her name until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She reacted automatically and grabbed the hand on her shoulder before she realized she was at school and the hand belonged to a girl.

"Sorry," Angie's voice came to her as Toph let her hand go. "I just wanted you to know that I don't blame you for the quiz. 'The Boulder' has been late in his quizzes, and a lot of us expected one soon."

Toph giggled along with Angie at the nickname for their history teacher. Mr. Boulder always talked of himself in the third person, and new ideas didn't penetrate his thick skull easily. Thus, all the students called him 'The Boulder'.

"It's cool," Toph said with a smile. "Do you know what we're doing in gym today?"

"Yeah, my grandfather said we would be playing flag football."

Toph grinned. "Well, I hope I'm not on Snoozles or Sunshine's team."

"Zuko? Do you like him?" Angie asked as they stopped at their lockers.

Toph froze with a hand on the combination lock and tuned her hearing to Angie. The other girl was turning her combination lock and wasn't paying attention to Toph. The question was innocent, or seemingly so.

"Nah," Toph said with a fake smile. "I mean, he's my friend, but I don't know if it'll go any further. He said he moves every few months."

"That must be hard," Angie said as Toph opened her locker. "Moving once was hard enough. I can't imagine moving a lot."

"Yeah, but he seems pretty tough for it," Toph said with a soft smile. She knew Zuko was a lot stronger than he let on, and he seemed pretty settled in to move again anytime soon.

"Yeah, I hope I can learn some Shaolin from him," Angie said as they both finished pulling their gym clothes on. "We'd better hurry. Grandpa won't like us being late."

Toph smiled along with the other sophomore and hurried out onto the field. There, Mr. Jeong separated the students into three teams, and though Toph was sad that Sokka was on her team, she smiled as she faced off against Zuko's team first. Somehow, she always managed to end up against him, whether she planned it or someone else did, but it seemed they were the two fastest people on the field, so they were always chasing each other. Toph enjoyed every second of it and grinned and laughed as she ran. While she caught the flag off of Zuko four times, he only caught her twice. During the last play between their two teams, she heard the ball snapped back to a junior and then handed off to Zuko.

Smiling instantly, Toph altered her course and ran to where she heard him running past Angie and a few others. She heard his flags flapping at his waist and put on an extra burst of speed as they neared the end line.

"Can't catch me," Zuko said back to her with a smile in his tone.

Toph just grinned and leapt at the mast moment, grabbing a flag before he reached the end zone. She rolled, but her foot caught his and he tripped, rolling into the end zone, never letting the football go.

"Don't have to catch you," Toph said as she held up his flag and grinned. She heard a light chuckle come out of Zuko before she heard him get up and move towards her. She continued to leave her hand up with the flag and Zuko grabbed it and pulled her to her feet. Toph didn't expect so much strength as he pulled her a little higher than her height and she stumbled a bit and stepped closer to him. Zuko stepped away as Toph ducked her head to hide her blush behind her bangs. She shook her head as if to stop blushing. She knew she shouldn't blush. It was just another stupid crush and she would get hurt again.

"You ok?" Zuko asked as Toph heard their teams moving towards them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Toph lied as she smiled at him.

She heard Zuko nodding as he followed his team off the field and Lee's team came onto the field. Toph sighed and pushed her emotions out of the way as she got in position to run the ball down the field.

XXXXX

Zuko was confused. Toph had been acting strange since Monday. He had thought it had been what he told her over the weekend, but then she had been normal at lunch on Monday, only to become even quieter and distant after gym. He had caught her blushing after he had helped her up and she had almost stumbled into him. He wondered what had caused the change in Toph, but forgot about it until they started walking home. She had mentioned the quiz in history and he had offered to help again. Toph had been silent throughout the studying before her Hung Gar lesson and he had left. She had been oddly quiet since then and now it was Wednesday and he followed Toph and her friends to the gym again. Toph was walking with Katara and though the junior kept talking, Toph was still silent and seemed to be getting more uncomfortable the more Katara talked and giggled. Sokka and Aang were between the two girls and Zuko and kept talking about Jet and Aang's birthday party.

Though both boys kept glancing back at him, Zuko never entered the conversation and merely frowned whenever either directed a question at him. They were the first to arrive in the gym for the club meeting and Zuko moved to the far wall to lean against it as the others talked.

"Sugar Queen! Enough!" Toph finally cried before she stalked over to lean against the wall next to Zuko.

He glanced down at her, but she seemed to be in a bad mood. He had noticed Katara watching the blind girl as she stalked off and then the junior's face lit up as Toph stood next to Zuko. Katara hurried to her brother and Aang and they started whispering before the three approached Zuko and Toph.

"Zuko, do you know if you're coming to the party yet?" Aang asked innocently.

Zuko glanced at Toph and saw her become interested, though she continued to frown through her bangs.

"Yeah, I'm going," he said.

Aang and Katara's faces lit up into huge grins as Sokka smiled before Zuko noticed the blue eyed senior look towards Toph. Sokka's face fell into a frown and Zuko risked a quick glance at the blind girl to see her mouth hanging open in astonishment.

"Oh Toph, we can go get our costumes this weekend!" Katara cried.

"No," Toph stated.

"What?" Katara asked, confusion on her face and in her tone.

"I am not getting a costume with you," Toph stated as she stood up from the wall. "You're like my mom, and will make me wear a dress. No."

"But…" Katara started as Zuko glanced from girl to girl.

"No. Dresses. Remember last year? And the year before that?!" Toph asked. "You got me to dress as a witch and a vampire. And both had dresses. So, no dresses."

Katara glanced at Zuko, pleading with her blue eyes. He just shrugged, trying to stay out of the conversation. Toph started to smile and Zuko knew something bad was going to happen.

"I'll go costume shopping with Sunshine," Toph said. "That way, I know he won't get me into a frilly, girly dress."

Zuko groaned with despair. He had hoped he could just make up something at the last minute, but since he was pulling Toph into going to the party, she was going to pull him in deeper. Katara went from confused to bright and cheerful again and pulled her brother and Aang away to whisper some more.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Toph whispered.

"More family stuff Saturday," Zuko sighed. His uncle had told him about the plan to visit his sister that weekend. He was not looking forward to it, but she was still family and it had been nearly three months since he had seen Azula.

"Ok, call me when you finish," Toph whispered to him before he saw her start to frown again.

Zuko glanced up and towards the door as he heard the entire gym quiet and saw Jet enter followed by Smellerbee, Longshot, and Chuck. They moved off to the side, but Jet gave one of his dazzling smiles to Katara and then Zuko. The scarred teen merely frowned at Jet as Mr. Jeong moved to the center of the room.

"Good afternoon," Mr. Jeong stated as he glanced around. Zuko noticed the teacher's gaze falling on Jet and staying there before he continued. "We'll split up into our groups again, but first I want to instill upon you the honor that comes with martial arts." He turned towards Zuko and Toph. "Would one of you care to demonstrate in a simple spar?"

Sokka, Aang and Katara all looked hesitant, and Toph looked like she was going to speak up, but Zuko did first.

"I will," he said as he stood off the wall and approached the mat. He saw Toph frowning, but this time he didn't care. He had been so frustrated all week by Jet and Toph's unusual silence that he needed to do something. Gym had helped, but there was still the edge that could only really be taken out on a punching bag.

Mr. Jeong studied him slightly as he made his way to the mat before the teacher turned to the other students. "And another volunteer?"

Hahn started to move to the mat, as well as Angie and another junior Zuko knew he had gym with, but Jet beat them all to it.

"I will, Mr. Jeong," Jet said with his easy smile.

Zuko frowned, but he had put himself in that position. He glanced at the teacher and saw Mr. Jeong frown as well, but the teacher went with it.

"Very well," Mr. Jeong said in a slightly harder voice. "This is just a simple spar, and we do not let our emotions get in the way. First, we bow to our opponent."

Both Zuko and Jet bowed to each other, though neither took their eyes off the other. As soon as they rose, they both sank into stances and studied each other. Zuko noticed Jet was using an unfamiliar style, though it seemed to be based loosely on Hung Gar.

"Excellent fighters can study each other and learn things just by watching their opponents," Mr. Jeong continued as Jet moved first, jumping in with a jab to Zuko's head. Zuko blocked it and jabbed in towards Jet's stomach, but Jet jumped out of range before swinging around with a kick.

Zuko again blocked it as he studied Jet's methods as his uncle had taught him. He saw Jet leaving most of himself open and using more power than he should have. After a minute of Zuko blocking Jet's attacks, Zuko noticed the other senior getting frustrated and tired. As Jet jabbed in again, Zuko moved underneath the arm and grabbed it as he turned to throw Jet over his shoulder. Zuko twisted Jet's arm as the other senior landed on his back so that Jet couldn't rise again and any try to get out of the hold would cause pain. Jet glared up at Zuko from the ground as he twisted slightly, only to find himself effectively pinned.

"Once the match is decided, both opponents bow to each other again," Mr. Jeong stated as Zuko let Jet's arm go and bowed to him. Jet rose as well and started a bow, but as Zuko got up, he saw Jet turn to kick him.

Bringing up his arm to block, Zuko was surprised as Toph instantly appeared and caught the incoming leg, twisting it and sending Jet to his back again.

"Hey, she's not in this!" Jet cried. "It's just between us!"

"I only interfered because you were going to win by any way possible," Toph said back to Jet, glaring at him. "You're a dishonorable jerkwad, you know that?"

Jet was about to retort, but Mr. Jeong stepped in front of Toph. "Jet, you showed dishonor when you were clearly bested. And you came here merely to satisfy your own goal of revenge. Leave, now."

Zuko watched in anger as Jet frowned once more at the teacher before frowning at Zuko past Mr. Jeong's shoulder before he stalked out.

"Everyone, please split into the groups you were in last week," Mr. Jeong said before he turned to Zuko. "Zuko, I need to speak with you."

Zuko clenched his fists as everyone separated and Toph gave him a weak smile before she went to the advanced group. Mr. Jeong turned to Zuko and motioned for the teen to follow him out of the gym. The scarred teen barely controlled his temper as the teacher closed the gym doors behind him.

"Zuko, you know you shouldn't have sparred against Jet. He was waiting for just that opportunity."

"I know," Zuko growled as he leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest.

"But I do want to say that your uncle would have been proud to see how well you controlled yourself," Mr. Jeong said with a smile. "Next time, I suggest you not volunteer until you know your opponent."

Zuko nodded and studied the teacher as Mr. Jeong stroked his long white mustache absently. The teacher smiled at Zuko and went back to the gym doors. "You can stay out here, or join Toph and the others again."

The scarred teen waited a minute after Mr. Jeong had re-entered the gym before he sighed and went back into the gym. Many people stopped and stared at him as he walked back in, but immediately Toph's voice rang out.

"Come on lazybones!" she said to a group of students, a mix of mediocre and advanced students. "Stop looking around and get it right!"

Zuko went to stand next to her as most of the people in the gym turned back to what they were doing. Toph corrected a few stances before retreating back to Zuko's side.

"Okay, start again," she said to the group and Zuko was impressed as the group before him did an easy sequence of punches and kicks. "Feel free to join in and adjust stances," Toph whispered to Zuko before moving in among the students.

He noticed the five who had been with Toph and him the last week moving among many of the other students, correcting stances. Zuko watched Angie correct a junior and senior before he moved to a pair of freshmen in the back and stood behind them. They glanced at him nervously, but Zuko just stood behind them as Toph shouted out her orders again.

The group moved again and Zuko noticed the freshmen in front of him nearly falling over as they tried the high kick. When they stopped, he stepped up to the pair.

"You have to have balance, and not so much power," he told them as he moved one of guy's feet farther away from his center. "Balance and movement first, then the strength will follow."

The freshmen looked slightly scared until the one Zuko had corrected went through the forms again with his wider stance.

"Like that?" the boy asked.

Zuko nodded and the other freshman copied his friend as Zuko moved away from them to help Toph with the others for the rest of the club meeting.


	8. Costume Shopping

A/N: Thank you everyone for being so patient. I want to say a huge thank you to DeepAzulaEyes, my wonderful beta and I'd like everyone to pray for my other beta, AStormIsBrewing, who is swamped with college applications. Thank you and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, and I want Toph's costume. )

Chapter 8

Saturday came far too soon for Zuko. Unlike the previous weekend, he was not looking forward to visit this member of the family. But Azula was still family, even if she was a little crazy. As Iroh drove, Zuko's thoughts kept turning to the past week and Toph. The blind girl had acted oddly for the first half of the week and then had almost returned to normal after the martial arts club. He was surprised that she wore a tight shirt and tighter jeans on Friday and had actually looked…gorgeous. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her on Friday. Katara had smirked in a knowing way every time the junior had caught him staring at Toph during lunch, and he had glared at her and tried to avoid looking at Toph.

Toph had known he couldn't keep his eyes off of her and he caught her blushing whenever he stumbled over an answer to a question she asked. The only time she didn't blush was when Hahn had hit on her and asked her to Aang's party after biology.

"I'm going with Sunshine," Toph had told the snotty junior with a frown and Hahn had turned to glare at Zuko.

Zuko had glared right back and he knew there would be trouble with Hahn. That was the last thing he needed. He already had an enemy in Jet, though Jet's friends all got along with Zuko, and now, because the scarred teen hung out with Toph, Hahn had singled him out.

"Something troubling you?" Iroh asked as they moved onto another freeway.

Zuko glanced at his uncle, disturbed out of his thoughts, and frowned.

"No," Zuko replied simply before turning to look out the window to watch the buildings fly by.

Iroh just smiled. "You have seemed different this week, and I noticed the young lady acting a little differently as well. Is there something going on between the two of you?"

Zuko glanced back at his uncle and saw Iroh almost grinning with a sparkle in his eyes.

"No," Zuko growled before turning back to the window and turning his iPod up.

Iroh just nodded and continued to smile as Zuko's thoughts kept going back to Toph and how beautiful and feminine she had looked on Friday. He had tried to avoid relationships since his last and only girlfriend, but now he found himself starting to like another girl. And liking Toph was odd, but nice. She didn't care about his scar, his anger, his fights, and could take care of herself. But she was so tomboyish that he had just become friends with her at first, but now he was seeing her differently. He growled deep in his throat at the confusing emotions and tried to push Toph out of his head, but she only came back stronger.

"I don't know," he finally said after half an hour of silence.

Iroh turned to him and smiled. "As I said before, she is a good influence on you, Nephew," Iroh said as he moved to the slow lane to exit the freeway. "And the heart decides what it wants for itself. Logic can never rule the heart, no matter how we wish it would."

Zuko nodded and frowned again.

"And she reminds me of my dear Titania," Iroh sighed. "So strong, yet so open and caring. You know you can tell her, if you wish."

Zuko sighed and nodded. He knew, and he had come close to telling Toph everything. But he was still nervous about telling anyone about his past. He was drawn out of his thoughts as Iroh pulled into the secure parking lot of the old school. Iroh got out first, and, before he had nodded, Zuko got out and headed towards the entrance.

"Let's get this over with," Zuko sighed.

Iroh nodded sadly and entered the lobby behind Zuko and immediately went to the front desk. Zuko glanced around at the school and home. Several teens and people in their early twenties walked around and some seemed distant and a bit loopy. Zuko moved away from those. He knew that this was a special school and home for the mentally unstable, but some seemed more unstable than usual. Iroh turned back to him and nodded, smiling at the scarred teen before leading the way deeper into the school.

"She is in the lounge," Iroh said as they climbed a set of stairs. "Zuko, don't let your anger rule, you know she just will make it worse."

Zuko nodded and opened the door to the lounge as Iroh stayed in the hallway. The scarred teen scanned the couches and chairs before finding his sister talking with a girl with black hair. He almost backed out of the lounge before Azula's golden eyes settled upon him and she smirked. Frowning, Zuko steeled himself and walked over to her.

"Hello Zuzu," she said smugly. "You remember Mai, don't you?"

Zuko glanced at his ex-girlfriend and nodded, seeing Mai look away from him, obviously irritated.

"Don't stand there gawking," Azula said with her usual smirk. "Sit, and tell me how you've been."

She turned to Mai as Zuko sat in a chair between the two girls. "It's terrible," Azula whispered to Mai as she glanced at her brother. "My own brother doesn't visit me that much, and acts like a savage when he does."

Zuko just frowned at Azula and kept his mouth shut.

"But enough about your lack of manners, Zuzu," Azula said as she turned back to Zuko. "How have you been? It's been, what, three months?"

"Yeah, life's ok," he replied. "How have you been?"

"Oh, perfect," Azula replied with a smile. "I've graduated high school early and am now doing several college courses including advanced calculus and physics, as well as organic chemistry. Are you still moving a lot?"

Zuko just nodded once to the simple question, but scowled at his sister.

"That must be hard. I wonder if you'll ever graduate high school," Azula said as she studied her older brother.

"I'll graduate," he replied and glanced at Mai. "How have you been, Mai?"

Mai crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. "Life is dull," she replied in her monotone.

Azula smirked at Zuko and started asking about his school, if he was going out with anyone, and just turned to Mai to whisper in her friend's ear as Zuko answered with one word answers or frowned at his sister. Finally fed up with his sister, and having spent an hour in her presence, Zuko got up and Azula stood up as well.

"Not leaving so soon, are you?" Azula asked as she pouted out her lower lip.

"Yeah," Zuko replied. "See you later," he said before he walked out of the lounge.

Once he was outside the doors, he leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. It had taken all his willpower to control himself in Azula's presence and not rise to her bait. He had let it slip that he had a friend who was a girl, but nothing else. He knew that their father had managed to contact Azula in the past, and any information he gave Azula could be passed on to Ozai. Zuko stood up and was about to walk to the entrance to leave when Mai hurried out of the door and her silver eyes landed on him.

"You know you didn't have to leave," she stated as she frowned at him.

"Yes, I did," he replied.

"And how you left?" she asked him as anger entered her tone and she narrowed her silver eyes at him. "A note?! Zuko, that is one of the stupidest ways to break up with someone."

"I had to move that day," Zuko told her, starting to scowl. "You don't understand…"

"Understand what? That you won't let anyone in? That you're angry with your father? You won't let anyone in, or tell anyone what's bothering you, and until you do, you'll always be angry and hurt!"

Zuko was about to reply in anger about how much better his life had gotten since he had met Toph, but stopped as his thoughts ran through his head. Mai's expression turned to astonishment as Zuko's face fell in realization that he had let Toph in a little and had actually liked it.

"You have let someone in, haven't you?" she asked as she studied him.

"No, not yet," Zuko replied in a softer tone and Mai's face fell further. "I'm sorry Mai, it just didn't work out between us. I have to go," he said and hurried past Mai and down the stairs. He found his uncle talking with the receptionist in a flirting manner and stalked up to him. "Time to go," he told his uncle and Iroh nodded.

Iroh smiled once more at the receptionist before he led the way out to the car and they started the long drive back home. As they drove, Zuko remembered his relationship with Mai and the note he had left her. They had both had hatred towards the world and that was one of the reasons they got along so well. Also, she was his sister's friend and he had liked her when they were kids. He had found out that she had liked him too as a kid, and they had started dating. But he had refused to tell her what had happened, even though he knew Azula had told Mai some of the details. And then word had come that _he_ was in town, and Iroh and Zuko had moved immediately. The scarred teen regretted leaving Mai with a note, but it had been the only way. He couldn't let her know where he was going since she was so close to Azula, and in the few weeks leading up to his moving, all he and Mai had done was fight.

Zuko had found out later from one of Azula's smug remarks that Mai had told Azula about her dating Zuko the week before Iroh and Zuko had moved. Zuko assumed his sister had passed on the information to their father. He had vowed to never let anyone get that close to him again, and there he was, letting Toph in. He sighed as his thoughts turned to Toph. He hoped he could keep their friendship, and forced it into his mind to not take it any further than that.

When they pulled into the driveway, Zuko pulled out his phone as he got out of the car, but Iroh stepped up to him and his calm but stern face stopped Zuko from calling Toph.

"I know Mai was there," the old man said sadly. "But just because one relationship turned bad doesn't mean all of them will. Keep an open mind and remember that relationships are a joint effort. Both parties must be willing."

Zuko just stared at his uncle and then Iroh grinned. "Have fun shopping for a costume," Iroh said as he handed Zuko a hundred before turning to go into his house, humming a song.

Zuko just stared after his uncle before he looked down at his cell phone. He quickly called Toph and was answered by her cheerful voice.

"Hey Sunshine, you ok?"

"Yeah," he replied. "You ready?"

"Yep, be right out," she said before she hung up the phone. He waited a minute and soon she opened her door and he was surprised that she was wearing another tight shirt. This one was dark green and she had nice black jeans on, obviously designer jeans that started just below her hips and hugged every curve of her lean body.

"Hey Sunshine," she said with a smile as she walked up to him. "It's only a short walk away. My mom told me of a shop by the beach."

"Um…ok," he said as he caught himself staring at her chest before he made himself lift his eyes to hers. She was looking at him oddly, and he found that the dark green shirt was making her green eyes sparkle. Her bangs were off to the side and it looked as if she was wearing a hint of makeup and lip gloss.

She smiled again before she started walking and Zuko walked next to her as he took a deep breath to control himself. "So, how was your day?" she asked.

"Not so great," Zuko replied as he started to glance her way before willing his eyes to focus on the sidewalk in front of him.

"Why, is your mom not doing well?" Toph asked him.

He risked a quick glance at her and saw her worried as she turned her head to face him. Zuko's eyes darted down to her full, pink lips and he wondered what it would feel like to kiss her. He tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and made himself pay attention to where he was going.

"No, I didn't see my mom. I saw my sister, she's a real pain," he replied as evenly as he could.

XXXXX

Toph nodded as she heard Zuko's anger in his tone as he mentioned a sister. She felt bad for him, his family seemed so messed up, and she didn't know how many other hidden family members were out there.

"She can't be that bad," Toph said with a smile.

"She is," Zuko replied and the anger got more intense. "She's crazy."

Zuko retreated into silence and Toph did as well as she thought about what he had told her, and his actions of the past few days. Katara had pestered her all week about her liking Zuko and had tried to convince Toph to find a way to see if Zuko liked her back. After Wednesday, when Toph had finally yelled at Katara to leave her alone, she went home to find that Katara had called her mother and all her comfortable, baggy clothes had mysteriously disappeared. Thankfully she kept a spare set in a secret place and had worn those Thursday. But on Friday, she was forced to wear some of the clothes her mother had bought or designed for her.

When she had shown up on Zuko's doorstep on Friday, she was shocked by his reaction. He stuttered and kept turning towards her as they walked. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and she knew she was making a fool out of herself as she blushed every time he stuttered or got caught staring at her. The dumbass had nearly ruined the nice feeling she was getting at actually looking pretty, but Zuko had stood tall next to her as she told Hahn she was going to the party with her friend. She knew Zuko hated making another enemy, but she was the one who was going to teach Hahn a lesson. Zuko could beat Jet up, and she could beat Hahn up, and they both would feel better.

She caught herself blushing as Zuko tripped again and she knew he was looking at her as they reached the beach. She smiled shyly at him and turned to head downtown. Katara had come over that morning to talk to her and help her pick out some clothes that Toph would be comfortable with. Anything that was pink, frilly, or had lace was immediately thrown out, and Katara had finally managed to convince Toph to let her put some makeup on the blind girl. And, by Zuko's reaction, his tripping and erratic breathing, he was worse than he had been on Friday. As they walked, she heard him take a deep breath and his hair moved against his shirt as he willed himself to stare straight ahead.

"So…what are thinking about?" he finally asked cautiously. "About costumes, I mean," he said in a hurried breath.

Toph smiled and felt her cheeks heat up in a blush again. She tried to hide it behind her bangs, but Katara had done her hair too, and her bangs refused to fall in front of her face.

"I dunno," she replied. "I can't see them, so I don't care. Make it comfortable and make it have pants, and I'll be happy."

"Ok," he said as they turned onto Main Street. "What's the name of the place?"

"Costumes Unlimited," Toph sighed.

She heard him nod and they walked on for a bit until he stopped. "Here it is," he said calmly before walking into the shop. Toph smiled at him as he kept the door open for her. His breath quickened as she was pushed into him by an older lady hurrying out and Toph quickly stepped away from Zuko and listened. Since it was a week before Halloween, the place was busy, very busy. She heard a lot of people moving around each other and the aisles, occasionally bumping into each other. Toph shrank back into the wall and a little into Zuko as three more people hurried out through the open door. She heard Zuko curse under his breath as someone stepped on his foot before he let the door close and looked around as well.

"Wow, busy place," he muttered to which Toph nodded. To her surprise, he took her hand and started pulling her into the crowd. "Better get this over with," he said and Toph blushed as his warm hand kept a strong but gentle hold on hers.

XXXXX

Zuko felt slightly protective of Toph as she shrank back against him as the noise of the busy shop overwhelmed both of them. He thought about heading out and finding another place, but with this being the last weekend before Halloween, every place would be just as busy or worse. He looked down at Toph and saw fear flash over her features quickly. He knew they had to get it over with.

"Wow, busy place," he muttered under his breath and saw Toph nod. He grabbed her hand so that they wouldn't get separated and started pulling her into the crowd. "Better get this over with," he said as he pulled her towards the adult section. After five minutes of fighting the crowds, he finally got them to the adult aisle which thankfully was less crowded than the rest of the store. He looked at the costumes and started to move on before he realized his hand was still joined with Toph's.

"Sorry," he muttered as he dropped her hand and felt his cheeks heat up in a blush. He caught her blushing too and quickly moved to look at the costumes. There were a lot of monsters and sexy costumes, but he knew her parents would never approve of those. Also most of them had skirts, and as much as the thought of seeing Toph in a skirt came into his mind, he knew she wouldn't go for them. He started looking for something simple for himself and found a pirate costume. It was almost a cross between a pirate and a renaissance costume with black pants, a loose red shirt and fake boot coverings. It was obviously styled off of the Pirate of the Caribbean movies, and it looked simple, but comfortable.

Zuko glanced around to find the female counterpart to the costume as Toph stepped closer to him to avoid being crushed by a few girls giggling over the sexy costumes. He found two female counterparts, one with a short skirt and glanced around until his eyes landed on the other. It had black pants like the male costume, but a white shirt that hung off the shoulders and a green bodice as well as the fake boot coverings. Smiling slightly, he picked it up and the male costume he liked and turned to Toph.

"What size are you?"

"Small," she said with a smirk. "I wear a size three in jeans. Why? Did you find one already?"

"I think so," Zuko replied, firmly keeping his eyes on her eyes. "They're pirates, but they also have a renaissance feel. Yours has pants, and a bodice. You ok with that?"

"Let me try it on," Toph replied with a small smile.

Zuko nodded and grabbed her hand again before heading to the back where the dressing rooms were. Once there, he dropped her hand again and they waited for twenty minutes until a cheerful girl in way too much pink came out and smiled at them.

"Are you both trying costumes on?" she asked with a grin.

"Just me," Toph told the girl and turned back to Zuko.

He handed her the female costume and the girl in pink led Toph back to the dressing room. Zuko glanced around and found an empty seat. There he waited for ten minutes and watched mothers and fathers dragging their children around, or children dragging their parents around to different costumes. Toph finally came back out, blushing, but in her normal clothes as the girl in pink followed her out.

"Thanks, Ty Lee," Toph said back to the girl before turning to Zuko. "Come on, let's get these and leave."

Zuko nodded and grabbed her hand again before he started heading to the cash register. There they both waited another ten minutes before Zuko finally could pay for both costumes. Toph looked at him in surprise, but he just shrugged.

"Thank my uncle," he told her as the man handed him back some change.

Toph nodded and Zuko grabbed her hand again to lead her out of the store as quickly as he could. Once they were outside again, Zuko let her hand go and took a deep breath to try and control his racing heart and sweaty hands. He knew he had been too familiar with Toph in the costume shop, but she hadn't protested and he did not want to have to fight the crowds any more than he already had to. They walked slowly down Main Street and Toph smiled as the smell of fruit came to them.

"Come on," she said with a smile before she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the frozen yogurt shop they were passing. Once they were inside, she immediately let his hand go and Zuko caught her blushing as he tried to control his own features. They waited in line and got some frozen yogurt with fruit on it before they headed out to walk to the beach and started eating their treats.

Zuko glanced at her a few times as they walked and ate, but both of them remained silent. He knew she was just as confused about her emotions as he was, and out of an unsaid truce, neither talked about it or the awkwardness that had come over both of them. They stopped at the railing between the beach and path and just watched the waves and the couple of people enjoying the last of fall's warmth on the beach.

"Soooo," Toph started awkwardly as she finished her frozen yogurt and Zuko tossed his empty cup into the trash can a few feet from him. "I was wondering…what do you look like?"

Zuko turned to stare at her in shock and saw her head bowed and her cheeks a bright pink.

"Why would you want to know that?" he asked cautiously.

She turned towards him and she smiled at him, but continued to blush, though this blush seemed to be more from embarrassment.

"I've heard…a lot of girls think you're really handsome, and, well, I've been curious." He frowned and she continued in a faster tone. "I already know who you are, so your looks don't matter to me. Heck, I don't even know what I look like."

Zuko thought for a minute. He knew if he told Toph what he looked like, he would have to explain his scar, and maybe the story behind it. He tried to think of how he could say it and not tell her everything, but so much about her made him want to spill his whole life story. She frowned as the silence continued and took it the wrong way.

"Look, I know you're angry about something, and hold resentment, and you're also cautious, but that's not who you are. You're smart, kind, courteous, and accept a person for who they are, not because of what they look like or anything that's different about them. And you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, though you're hurt about something," she said as she continued to frown up at him before her face became softer and her voice turned so low, he had to strain to hear her. "And you're my best friend. I'm worried about you."

He was shocked at how well she had read him, and it was kind of scary how close she had become to him.

"Can I tell you what you look like first?" he asked quietly.

Toph nodded and Zuko glanced around, making sure they were alone before he started talking in a low tone.

"You're really pretty," he started as he studied her. "The first thing I noticed about you was your eyes. They're a misty green as if there's a layer over them, hiding their true color. And it was kind of weird how they didn't focus, but they show so much emotion. Your hair is a beautiful, shiny black, but you hide your face too much with it. I'd like to see it down more, but I understand keeping it out of the way." Toph smiled and Zuko moved back to her face. "Your skin is pale, but perfect and your lips…your mouth," he said after he caught himself staring at her lips. "Your mouth is the perfect size and shape for your face. You look like a beautiful porcelain doll, but anyone who meets you knows that's not who you are."

He had noticed Toph frown at the doll comment, but she became interested when he said that wasn't who she was. Zuko glanced down at her body, but made himself focus on her face as he continued.

"You're strong," he told her, "and emit a feeling of power, but more like physical or spiritual power. You're smart, funny, and sarcastic and have this mischievous little smirk that tells everyone that meets you who you are. But, there's something else. You've been hurt before, but try and hide it. It's almost like there's a little girl still inside of you and you try and cover her up with the strength you've found."

Toph tore her eyes away from his and ducked her head. "But I understand," Zuko sighed as he turned to stare out at the waves crashing onto the sand as the tide came in. He had tried to keep his voice and tone calm as he described her, but his feelings intruded and he knew he had painted her in an almost romantic light before he described her attitude.

"Wow," she breathed. "So that's what it was like. I'm sorry," she said as she turned her head away from him.

"Nothing to be sorry for," Zuko said with a small smile. "I like you just the way you are."

He wanted to say as just a friend, but that stuck in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to lie to her after he had bared his soul to her in a way. She turned back to him and smiled back. "Ok, thanks. Now describe what you look like."

He nodded and took a deep breath. "I have dark hair, almost black, and usually let it hang loose to shield myself as you use your bangs to shield your face. My eyes are an unusual color outside of my family. They're gold. I have a simple face, but…" Zuko stopped before going onto his scar and Toph looked at him expectantly. "My scar is on the left side of my face. Its dark red around my left eye, which is half closed from the damage and then that fades to a lighter red around my eye and back towards my left ear. Some hair by my ear won't grow back and my left eyebrow won't ever come back."

He stopped and glanced at her and saw Toph deep in thought. Then she turned and smiled at him. "You forgot tall and have a nice body. I know, I felt it when I pinned you," she said with a smirk and Zuko let out a small laugh.

"My mom's probably wondering where I've disappeared to," Toph sighed as she pushed herself off the rail. "Coming, Sunshine?"

Zuko smiled and walked with her back towards their houses. He was glad she had accepted his scar without asking for the story behind it and the awkwardness that had come up between them had dissipated a little. They walked further and Zuko sighed in despair as he saw many cars parked outside his house.

"What's wrong?" Toph asked.

"My uncle has his Pai Sho friends over," Zuko sighed. "If I don't lock myself in my room, I'll be bugged by them to join and hear stories about the old times."

Toph giggled. "Aw, they can't be that bad. I know Fong has gone over a few times to play with your uncle. Do you have a TV in your room?"

"No," Zuko answered her.

"Ok, then come over to my place and watch movies. My dad isn't home and Mom shouldn't mind if we're in the living room."

Zuko nodded. "Ok, let me tell my uncle."

Toph nodded and followed him into his house, but stayed in the entryway as Zuko went to the family room and found his uncle, Fong, Mr. Jeong and Mr. Pokku along with a few other people.

"Uncle, I'll be at Toph's house," Zuko said when he caught his uncle's eye.

Iroh nodded and grinned. "Very good, Nephew. Did you two work things out?"

Zuko scowled at his uncle, but shrugged. Iroh merely nodded with a knowing look on his face and Zuko turned back to Toph. She questioned him with her expression, but he just smiled at her.

"So, what kind of movies do you like?" he asked her as he led the way out of his house.


	9. Crazy Emotions

A/N: Thank you again to my wonderful beta, DeepAzulaEyes, and thank you everyone who read and reviewed

A/N: Thank you again to my wonderful beta, DeepAzulaEyes, and thank you everyone who read and reviewed. Remember, if I'm doing something wrong, or if you have suggestions or critiques to make me a better writer, please, let me know. Thank you again!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, just the dvd of the movie I mention. If you haven't seen it, you should.

Chapter 9

Toph just smiled as he asked what kind of movies she liked. She was still confused about her feelings for Zuko, but she knew she liked him…a lot. And by his reactions, he liked her too, but something was holding him back.

"I like action, cartoons, and comedies," she told him as they walked up to her house. "What about you?"

Toph opened the door and heard her mom in the kitchen. She led the way to the living room and heard Zuko's shirt and hair move as if he had shrugged.

"I don't know. Pretty much the same, minus the cartoons."

"Why don't you like cartoons?" Toph asked as she made her way to the entertainment center.

"Its kid stuff," he replied as she heard him sit on the big couch

Toph frowned as she thought about all the cartoons and anime that weren't kid stuff, but she'd show him the good stuff later. Now, she had to decide what movies they should watch. She ran her hand over the tops of the DVD cases and scanned the brail there. She landed on one she hadn't heard in a while and smiled as she pulled it out.

"Ever seen Oscar?" she asked Zuko.

"No, what is it?"

"A comedy," Toph replied as he opened the DVD player and placed the DVD in. "With Sylvester Stallone."

"Sly Stallone in a comedy?" Zuko asked in disbelief.

Toph smiled and nodded as she hit play. "Yeah, but it's all about actions and reactions. Just watch."

She heard him sigh as she made her way to sit near him on the couch. She left a foot between herself and Zuko. Toph knew she liked him, and whether it was just another crush or not, it sounded like he liked her too. She had been forced to make a move by Katara and her mom with the nice clothes, but Zuko had taken her hand in his in the costume shop. He had seemed to regret it, and she guessed he had probably done it so they wouldn't get separated, but then again, he had held on after they were through the crowds.

Toph heard him relax into the couch as the movie started and she enjoyed the movie, but she had heard it so many times, she could turn inward and still answer any questions Zuko had about the movie. She wondered if there was anything holding him back, like a girlfriend or his past. It almost seemed like a wall had come up between them over the past week and, though they had broken part of it down earlier, it was still there. Toph knew it was hard for Zuko to express himself, but when he had explained what she looked like and her attitude, he had put so much emotion into it. His breath had caught a few times as he described her, but then he had calmed down as he described himself.

She was curious about his scar but wanted him to tell her when he was ready. And Toph kept wondering what he looked like. He was much better at describing other things rather than himself. She smiled as he laughed at certain parts of the movie and knew that her mom had come out of the kitchen a few times to check on them. But her mom approved of her spending time with Zuko, unlike her dad. Toph frowned slightly at how mean her dad had been to Zuko and hoped the old man would leave them alone when she went with Zuko to Aang's party. The movie started to end and she heard Zuko chuckling over the end of it. When the credits came up, Toph turned to Zuko.

"You know, you're really bad at describing yourself," she told him and heard him tense up.

"So?" he asked, caution in his tone again.

"So…" she started as she thought of a way to ask. "Can I see your face?"

Zuko was silent for a moment. "How?" he asked finally.

Toph held up her hands and she heard him sigh.

"I don't know," Zuko said hesitantly.

"Just this once," Toph said, giving her best innocent look.

She heard him sigh again and it sounded like he was giving in, though he remained silent for a minute.

"Why is it so important to you?" he asked.

XXXXX

Zuko watched Toph as she searched for an answer. He never knew she had been so preoccupied with how he looked. He actually liked that she didn't care, but apparently she did. She put her hands down into her lap and sighed.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I just want to know. I hear a lot of people talking about you, and I know faces match personalities." She started to smile again and seemed to be remembering something. "Snoozles took the most time, but I could feel the laughter in his face as well as the care he had for his sister and friends. A face just suits a person and you told me you have a normal face. I don't know what a normal face looks like and everyone is different."

He watched as she started to frown at him at the end and he sighed again, knowing he was going to lose. He just hoped he could control himself if she got really close. All day long, all he had wanted to do was kiss her, but when she sat away from him on the couch, he was thankful. She gave him the space he wanted and he could actually enjoy the movie.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" he said finally.

He watched Toph start to grin and that small change made him forget his caution. She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers at him.

"Just close your eyes so I don't poke them," Toph said before she let out a small laugh. "I poked my mom so many times when I was little, it's a wonder she isn't blind like me."

Zuko smiled slightly and closed his eyes, waiting with a held breath until he felt her fingers gently touching his arm and shirt before they moved up to his neck. He became tense as her fingers delicately moved to the left side of his face which was closest to her and she drew away before her gentle touch returned. Her fingertips were soft and Zuko could smell jasmine and a faint whiff of strawberries as her heard Toph scoot closer to him and her fingers became bolder as she traced the outline of his face. The gentle touches moved down from his forehead and strayed slightly where his eyebrow had been before going over his eyes and towards his nose. Her felt her little finger linger on his scar as others gently touched his mouth and he felt the little bit of stubble he had scrape against her fingers before her hands ended at his chin.

Toph's touch left and Zuko wondered what was happening before he opened his eyes and saw that her eyes were about an inch from his. He saw her blush slightly and his eyes darted down to her full, pink lips and he leaned closer to her, ready and wanting to kiss her dizzy. He noticed her eyes closing slightly as she leaned towards him until he heard some pots clanging together in the kitchen. Realizing what he was about to do, and where he was, Zuko drew back and scooted around Toph to stand in half a second. He glanced at the clock and saw it was getting late as he heard Toph's dad enter the house and talk to her mom.

"Sorry," he muttered, though he didn't exactly know what he was sorry for. He glanced at her and saw her looking sad and almost disappointed. "It's late, I gotta go."

"Yeah," Toph sighed before she smiled up at him. "I don't want you to fight with the old man. Anything going on tomorrow?"

"Just some chores," he replied, glad to be talking normally with her again. "Did you have anything planned?"

"The gang is going to the mall to hang out and get party supplies. You want to come?"

"If I'm done. Call me before you go."

"Ok," Toph said and Zuko turned to leave. He was almost out of the living room when Toph called out to him. "Oh, and thank you, for everything."

Zuko turned to glance back at her and saw her smiling at him. Giving a small smile back, he nodded and headed out of the door before her dad could spot him. As he walked back to his house, he started berating himself for allowing Toph to get so close and allowing his hormones to get the better of him. Just because she looked beautiful and was close to him didn't mean he could try to kiss her. He noticed most of the cars that had been in front of his house were gone and found only Mr. Pakku, Fong and his uncle in the kitchen sharing a pot of tea as he walked in.

"Zuko, how was your night?" Iroh called to him with a grin.

Zuko just glared at his uncle and saw all three older men start to frown before he turned into the hallway and slammed his door behind him before falling onto his bed. The teen knew he was going to have trouble being around Toph. Every fiber within him begged for him to tell her his life story and kiss her, but he knew he shouldn't, no, couldn't do that. Her father had recognized him somehow and that by itself could be dangerous for her. He turned so that his back was to the door as he heard it open and saw Iroh move to sit on his bed.

"I take it things didn't go well," Iroh said calmly from the foot of the bed.

Zuko just growled and sat up, keeping his back to his uncle. He didn't know what to do, and he couldn't stand sitting still. With another low growl, he got up and stalked past his uncle to the garage. He heard Iroh following him, but continued to ignore his uncle as he went to the new punching bag lying by the wall and started hanging it up. Iroh moved to help him as he tightened the hooks into the support beam above them and he nodded once to his uncle once he was done. Iroh stepped back and watched as Zuko started hitting and kicking the punching bag.

As he worked up a sweat and his discomfort lessened, Zuko started to recall the events of the past week and that day. Toph had been arguing with Katara nearly all week about something and the blue-eyed junior had had a knowing smile when Toph had dressed nicely on Friday. He knew that Katara somehow had a hand in making Toph dress like a girl. Toph had seemed rather hesitant and cautious about being dressed nicely both Friday and Saturday, but had gone with the flow, though she had blushed a lot. Zuko knew he liked seeing her dressed that way. She had been gorgeous, even more beautiful than Katara, Mai or that girl at the costume store. And definitely better looking than Jin and the other girls who had hit on him the past couple of years. He had been the one to take her hand in his in the costume shop, and though it had only been so they wouldn't get separated, he had found that he hadn't let her hand go once they were safe and had liked the feel of her small hand in his.

Something about her made him want to open himself, as if he saw part of himself in her and wanted to watch over her and protect her. That thought brought a smile to his face as he continued to kick and hit the punching bag. Toph could beat anyone up, including him. She didn't need or want any protection, and though it seemed like she had been hurt before as he had, it wasn't the same kind of hurt, or from the same cause. Zuko knew Iroh was waiting for him and watching him from a chair the older man had brought in and finally Zuko turned to his uncle after grabbing a towel and sat next to Iroh.

"Why can't things be simple?" Zuko sighed as he sat.

"Because for lessons to be learned, there must be hardship," Iroh answered with a smile. "A lesson without trial and hardship is a lesson soon forgotten. What trial are you going through, Zuko?"

Zuko frowned up at his uncle, but Iroh merely continued to smile.

"I like her, and want to tell her, but it's too dangerous," Zuko told his uncle.

"Maybe it would be best to let her decide how dangerous it could be."

"Her dad recognized me. I know he hasn't said anything, but I saw it in his eyes. And he doesn't like me," Zuko sighed.

"Ah yes," Iroh said as he stroked his grey beard. "Fong had told me about Mister Bei Fong asking you to keep your troubles away from his family. But it was and is Toph who seeks you out, is it not?"

Zuko nodded and turned to stare at his feet.

"Then my suggestion is to tell her and let her decide what choice to make. You have feelings for the young lady, and I can see you wish to tell her the truth about yourself. If she feels the same, then she will have the choice to let it go further or end it, but your conscious will be free. And," Iroh said with a chuckle, "Toph can take care of herself."

Zuko smiled and nodded at that, but he still felt apprehensive. "But if I tell her, she'll still be in danger. And what if we have to move again?"

"Then you can still have contact, and I know a few people here and around who will make sure she isn't targeted. Perhaps you need to search your heart some more, but I do recommend telling her of your feelings at least by the party. Goodnight Nephew, it's been a long day."

Iroh got up and stretched before leaving the garage as Zuko continued to stare at his feet, thinking over his uncle's words. The cold of autumn was starting to creep in and Zuko shivered once before getting up off of the cold concrete floor and heading to his room. Once there, he fell onto his bed again and fell asleep thinking about Toph.

XXXXX

Toph listened to Zuko leave before getting up to head to her own room. She grabbed her costume before she went and wondered what kind of reaction it would bring out of Zuko. She smiled as she thought of the tips Ty Lee had given her to really use the costume to her advantage. But that turned to thinking about what had happened just then on the couch. Something had happened, something special that had been interrupted by her mom banging a couple of pots together in the kitchen and the sound of her dad coming home. Toph didn't know what it had been, but she had felt him leaning towards her as she leaned towards him, and silently cursed her parents for interrupting whatever was going to happen.

"Toph," her father called to her from behind her as she started walking down the hallway. "I heard that…boy, was here."

"Yes Dad," Toph sighed as she stopped with her back to her father. "Zuko was here. We went out to get costumes for Aang's party and then watched a movie since his house was full with his uncle's friends."

"And what kind of costume did you get?" Lao asked hesitantly.

Toph turned to her father and held up her costume. Her father took it and it sounded like he turned it over a few times before he handed it back to her.

"I guess that's decent enough. Is that boy from across the street going as well?"

"Yes Dad, I'm going with Zuko to the party. We're going as friends. What do you have against him anyways?"

Toph heard her father straighten up as he tensed and was sure he was frowning. "I thought I recognized him from an article a few years ago. If it is him, his family is messed up and I want none of his troubles disturbing this family," Lao said sternly before his tone softened. "And I'm worried about my little girl."

Toph let a wry smile come onto her face. "Dad, you know I can take care of myself. I'm tired, goodnight."

"Goodnight Toph," Lao said as she turned and continued to head towards her room.

Toph reached her room and sighed as she flung the costume onto her chair before falling onto her bed. She again wondered about Zuko and his past, but her thoughts turned slowly to his allowing her to 'see' him. His face was unique, and different, though it suited him perfectly as she knew it would. What really surprised her was how smooth his skin was. It seemed he took care of himself, and though she had felt a little stubble on his chin, it felt like he shaved regularly and didn't get all gross like Sokka did occasionally. But his scar was what really fascinated her. It didn't cover half his face like she had heard people say, more like a third, and only around his left eye before heading back towards his ear. It had the smooth, almost waxy feeling that the burn on her wrist had from when she had accidently touched a hot skillet when she was five. Toph knew he had tensed at her touching it and she was sure he didn't let many people touch his scar.

She blushed as she thought of how Zuko had let her in and how close she had gotten to him. Toph wondered if she should have kissed him then. They were only an inch apart, but she had never kissed anyone besides her parents, but parents don't count and those were cheek kisses anyways. Katara and Suki had said it just felt right to be kissing a guy who truly cared about them and Toph longed to feel that. With shock, Toph realized that maybe, just maybe, that was what was going to happen. Zuko could have kissed her! She turned over and sighed into her pillow. But he hadn't. And then he had apologized for whatever he didn't do. Knowing it was getting late, she quickly changed into some pj's and went to bed, determined to sleep in the next morning.

Toph woke to the sounds of her parents and Fong moving around. She curled up into her nest of blankets, determined to sleep more and stay warm against the chill that had invaded her house, but she was awake. Sighing, she listened to the people moving throughout the house and threw the covers aside in a mad dash for the shower. Turning the water on quickly, she waited until it was nice and hot before she entered, reveling in the heat. Once clean and warm again, Toph dressed herself in a pair of black jeans and a tight shirt Katara had picked out the day before, but also put on her favorite hoody. There was a chill still in the house that told her that fall had finally arrived and her sweatshirt was nice and fluffy and warm and big. Just the way she liked it.

"Good morning Miss Toph," Fong said to her as she walked out to the living room. "It's nearly ten, what would you like for breakfast?"

"Just some of my cereal," Toph answered as she made her way to the couch, jumping onto it as she grabbed the remote. She placed her phone next to her as she turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels until she heard some cartoons. Fong came out and handed her a bowl of cereal and she could smell the cinnamon and sugar of her favorite cereal as she listened to her cartoons. Toph heard her father come out and stop to look at something, most likely her, shortly after she finished her breakfast.

"Yes, Dad?" Toph asked as he continued to stand there.

"Do you have any plans today, Toph?' he asked.

"Yeah, I'm going out with my friends to help them pick up party supplies at the mall. I should be home for dinner."

"And will that boy be going as well?" Lao asked in an arrogant tone.

"Yes," Toph replied, frowning. "_Zuko_ said he might go too."

She heard her father sigh before he spoke again. "Well, I'll be taking your mother to the airport later. She has a fashion show in New York tomorrow. I hope to see you for dinner tonight."

With that, he walked away and Toph let herself sigh before she flipped a channel to another cartoon station. She hated having dinner with just her dad. They were too alike, and so fought over everything; her attitude, her independence, her friends and her choices. And now, after her dad had finally gotten used to her other friends, he was picking on her new friend. Startling her out of her bad mood, her phone started ringing with Sokka's ringtone.

"Hey Snoozles," Toph answered. "What's the plan?"

"We'll be there at 12 to pick you up. Uh, is Zuko coming too?"

"He said he had some chores, but he will if he's done. I'll call him in a bit."

"Ok, see you in about an hour."

She set her phone back next to her and just relaxed throughout the rest of the current cartoon she was listening to as well as the next. Once that was finished, Toph knew time was getting short and picked up her phone again to call Zuko.

"Hello?" Zuko answered.

"Hey Sunshine," Toph said with a smile. "Can you still make it out today? Snoozles and company will be here by 12."

"Yeah, I'm just finishing up now. I'll meet you outside when he pulls up."

"Ok, see you then."

"Yeah, see you," Zuko said with an ironic twist and Toph smiled as he got her little joke. She always said 'see you' to everyone and even her best friends didn't think anything of it. But Zuko had picked it up and just thinking about him made her blush a little. Sighing, she changed the channel again to a different cartoon and waited until she heard Suki's car pull up to her house.

"Bye Mom, bye Dad," she called as she made her way out.

"Wait dear," Jasmine called back and Toph stopped in the entryway until her mother came up and hugged her. "Have fun, and try to behave around your father," Jasmine said as she hugged Toph.

"I'll try," Toph replied with a smirk and heard and felt her mother sigh before Jasmine hurried back to her room, most likely to finish packing.

Toph hurried out and heard Zuko opening the side door of the minivan. He tried to get in, but Sokka stopped him.

"Hey Zuko, why don't you ride up front and be co-pilot? The girls want to talk about something," Sokka said with a smile.

Toph sighed and blew her bangs out of her face in a frustrated manner as Zuko shrugged and moved up front before Katara grabbed her arm and pulled her into the back. Toph wanted to kill Katara and Suki as they surrounded her and tried to hold back giggles as Sokka started driving off. She also heard Aang turn back towards them, probably questioning them, but whatever faces Katara and Suki made, Aang turned back and started talking with Sokka and Zuko about ideas for decorations.

"So, anything happen?" Katara asked in a whisper.

"No," Toph replied with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest. She did not want to be questioned and Katara and Suki had no right to but into her life.

"Nothing?" Suki asked innocently and Toph heard her head turn as if she was looking up towards Zuko and Sokka. "But didn't you two hang out yesterday? Katara said she did your hair and make-up."

"We got our costumes and saw a movie," Toph replied, starting to sulk. "Nothing. Happened."

"Fine," Suki sighed and Toph heard Katara open her mouth as if to talk, but Suki started shaking her head. Whatever was said between the two older girls, Toph didn't understand, but she was thankful that they left her alone for the rest of the car ride. When Sokka finally pulled the van into a parking spot, Toph waited for Katara and Aang to get out first, even though she wanted to rush out. Once out, she stayed as far away from Katara and Suki as she could, bit since the girls made up a third of the group, it was hard. Zuko was quiet as everyone talked, but she was ok with it. Sokka and Aang led the way to the party store and started handing out lists of things to get to pairs.

"Ok. Toph, why don't you go with Zuko, and…" Sokka started, but Katara interrupted.

"No, I'll go with Toph," the junior said sweetly. "Sokka, why don't you go with Zuko and Aang can go with Suki."

"Awww," Sokka whined as he realized he wouldn't get any alone time with his girlfriend in the store.

"That way, we'll make sure we all get what we need and won't get sidetracked," Katara said smugly to which Sokka and Suki both sighed. Katara grabbed Toph's arm and started pulling her down the aisles.

"So, what happened?" Katara asked once they were away from the guys. "Has he kissed you? Has anything happened? Come on, Toph, please?"

Toph glared in Katara's direction, but knew it wouldn't do much good. Katara would keep on asking and interfering.

"No and yes," Toph said in a low tone.

"What?" Katara asked, confused. "No to what and yes to what? It can't be both."

"Look, he's had a hard life, and he's cautious about letting someone in," Toph stated with a stern voice. "He was acting a little off when I had the make-up on yesterday and he grabbed my hand to lead me through the outrageously busy costume shop, but no. No kissing. Now will you please just leave it alone?"

She gave her best innocent look to Katara and hoped the junior would take the hint. Toph was desperate for Katara to leave well enough alone.

"I guess," Katara said, dejected. "But there's always the party!" the junior stated with enthusiasm in her tone again.

Toph sighed and let Katara lead her around the shop, holding items, but was glad that Katara let the subject drop for the moment.

XXXXX

Zuko watched Katara pull Toph away and wanted to intervene, knowing by the blind girl's expression that Toph was not enjoying the girl time. But, he knew Toph would face it sooner or later, and he didn't want to be in the middle of that. He turned to look at Sokka, to ask what they needed and saw the blue-eyed senior staring after Toph and Katara with a sad expression. When Sokka noticed Zuko watching him, he shrugged and smiled.

"Sisters," Sokka sighed. "What can you do about it?"

Zuko started scowling as he thought about his own sister and Sokka frowned.

"Hey man, I'm sorry. Look, before we shop, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" Zuko asked simply as Sokka narrowed his eyes to study the scarred teen.

"I know Katara had a hand in getting Toph to dress nicely, and I noticed both you and her blushing a lot on Friday. Toph is like another little sister to me and I don't want to see her get hurt. Do you like her and if you do, will you promise me not to break her heart?"

Zuko frowned as he though of a way to answer Sokka. He did like Toph, and he was sure Toph wouldn't like hearing that Sokka thought of her as just a little sister. "Yeah, but I can't promise that," Zuko answered. "I have a lot of stuff to deal with, and I don't know whether I'll take it past friendship."

Sokka sighed, but nodded before smiling at Zuko. "I understand. Asking Suki out after Yue died was hard, even though it was nearly a year after I lost Yue. But Toph, she's worth it and she really likes you. But enough about that, I need help getting all this stuff."

Zuko nodded and followed Sokka throughout the store. An hour later, they caught up with the others with all the decorations and Aang pulled out his cash, ready to pay for it. The cheerful sophomore's jaw dropped as the amount of everything they got kept increasing. Zuko was about to pull out the little bit of cash he had as Katara rummaged in her purse, but Toph stepped forward and handed the cashier a credit card. Zuko let a smile tug at his mouth as Katara, Aang, and Sokka stared at Toph in shock.

"Don't worry. I haven't used my allowance in two months. The old man is due for a little shock, even though I'm still way under budget," Toph said with a smirk as the cashier handed them bags of supplies.

"Yeah, but with Homecoming the week after the party, we'll all be tight," Katara said and Zuko stopped, glancing around.

Sokka and Suki got a dreamy expression on their faces as they looked at each other and Aang glanced at Katara and blushed. Toph had a look of shock and almost fear on her face for a second before she smirked and laughed.

"Homecoming?" Toph asked with a laugh as she started to walk out. "Please. Don't tell me you guys are going."

"Actually, we are," Sokka said with a goofy grin. "All of us, as a group. Come on Toph, it'll be fun."

"I don't know," Toph said hesitantly and Sokka and Katara turned to Zuko.

"What about you?" Katara asked the scarred teen. "Will you come to Homecoming with us?"

Zuko just shrugged and noticed Toph looking interested in what he might say. "I don't know, I haven't lived here that long. And I don't do dances."

"You mean you don't dance?" Toph asked.

He frowned, but didn't respond. She let it pass, but slowly dropped back to walk beside him as the others talked about Aang's party and homecoming.

"Do you dance?" Toph whispered to him as they exited the mall.

Zuko frowned at Toph but nodded slightly. "Yeah," he whispered, "but it's all classical training. Nothing like what happens at dances."

Toph brightened. "Do you know swing?" she whispered in an excited voice.

Zuko saw Katara glance back towards them and he frowned at her, making her turn back to whisper with Suki.

"Yeah, you?" he whispered to Toph.

"Yep, east and west coast. I can bring a cd to the party if you want."

"Sure," he shrugged.

Toph nodded and smiled just before they reached the van. They again sat where they had been and Zuko heard Suki and Katara whispering and giggling as they drove back to their houses. Glancing back, Zuko saw Toph blow her bangs out of her face as if bored and annoyed and he frowned at both Suki and Katara when they glanced at him and giggled. Soon, they arrived at Zuko and Toph's houses and both got out, Toph still frowning. Sokka and Aang waved goodbye to them and Zuko was ready to head to his house, but Toph sighed and smiled. He had noticed she was in tight jeans, but she had worn a big, comfortable looking sweatshirt and he had noticed Katara frowning when she had first spotted Toph in the sweatshirt. But he didn't care, Toph was still beautiful, and she looked more relaxed and he didn't have the urge to kiss her every time he looked at her. She smiled up at him and sighed.

"Now for dinner with the old man. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he replied easily. "You ok? Katara wasn't too annoying, was she?"

"Nah," Toph said, waving it off. "Sweetness can be a little too girly sometimes and unfortunately Fan Girl follows suit too easily. I'll be fine. Catch you later."

Zuko nodded, knowing Toph was doing better now that Katara had eased up somehow. He figured Katara and Suki had teamed up against Toph to get her to talk, probably about him. But he trusted Toph to not tell anyone else the little he had told her about himself. And he figured Katara was probably bugging Toph about her feelings, and he hoped the junior would leave them both alone. He started walking back to his house and thought about how he could tell Toph about himself and whether or not he should even do it. He found Iroh trimming some bonsai in the kitchen and walked past him to his room to finish the little bit of homework he had left. As he stared at the math, he realized he couldn't do it until he figured out what he was going to do about Toph. Searching over everything he knew of her and his own past, he decided to tell her, when the time was right. But he would tell her, or maybe, he thought with a smile, he would show her how he felt about her first. He would have to find the right moment, and knew he had five days until the party. Having decided what to do, he turned to his homework and started on it.


	10. Party!

A/N: Thank you everyone for being patient. And thanks again to my beta, DeepAzulaEyes. To those reading Love is Blind, I'm sorry it's late. I've hit a block with it, but I hope to get over it after this week. For those of you who love Toph, or need a good action fic, I highly suggest Irreplaceable and Reunions, as well as it's sequel, Peace No More. Very good stories by great writers. Thank you guys, and, now for the moment a lot of you have been waiting for…

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

Chapter 10

The week had moved slowly for Zuko. Toph continued to wear the nice, tight clothes, though the chill that had come had caused her to wear a sweatshirt. Some of the classes had turned the heaters on and in those classes, Toph had taken her sweatshirt off and Zuko had caught himself staring at her and being distracted from the discussions. Since there were no tests, they didn't study for anything and Zuko continued to wait for the perfect moment to show Toph how he felt, but he kept missing it. Once, he was about to kiss her on her porch, but Fong had come out and the scarred teen had heard Toph's dad in the background. Toph had seemed confused over his mixed signals, but at least the awkwardness they had between them the week before had nearly vanished.

Katara left them alone, though Zuko did see her whispering with Sokka and Aang a few times. He had even overheard the junior talking with Toph about getting dressed at Toph's place before the party. As they walked home on Friday, Zuko knew he had to do something that night. Maybe at the party, but he was almost bursting to get his emotions to calm down and actually tell Toph. He didn't dare make a move while they walked since Katara was walking with them, so he remained silent while the two girls talked about their costumes and who they thought might show up to the party uninvited.

"So," Toph said to him when they reached his house, "come on over when you're ready and then Fong will drive us."

"Ok, see you later," Zuko stated before heading into his house.

Both girls nodded and Katara giggled as he turned away, but he ignored them. Entering his house, he went straight to the shower. Once clean and shaved, he dressed in the costume and tied the boot coverings over his shoes before he looked into his mirror. He didn't know what to do with his hair and wanted to keep it normal. Iroh came into his room and smiled at him from the doorway.

"A pirate, how dashing you look, Nephew," Iroh said with a smile. "Have you told her yet?"

"No, haven't found a good time," Zuko muttered to which Iroh nodded as he smiled in a knowing way.

"Here," Iroh said as he stepped up to Zuko and pulled a small item out of his pocket. "This will help."

Zuko stared at the small piece of stone in his uncle's hand. He had only seen it a handful of times and knew it was a relic from his family's past. It had a circular base and two sides flared up several inches, looking like small flames and Zuko knew it went around a topknot on the top of his head, as was the tradition of his people.

"Uncle, is that…? No, I can't. Not to a party," Zuko stated, trying to get out of wearing the family relic.

"Yes, you can and should," Iroh said. "It will add…prestige, to your costume. You should not look as you do every other day for a party such as this. And, every pirate needs a weapon," Iroh concluded as he backed up and picked something up from the hallway.

Zuko let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth as he saw Iroh bring forward the sheath of his Dao swords along with a false handle in it. The old general had taught Zuko how to use the swords and had had a false handle made for when Iroh had needed to use them for ceremonial showings when he was younger. Zuko nodded and accepted both items, seeing his uncle nod and exit the room. The scarred teen decided to do his hair first and brushed it all up and back, but a few stray hairs were too short and fell in front of his face and over his scar. Smiling, Zuko pulled a few more strands out over the left side of his face and let them partially shield his scar before tying the rest of his hair up in the traditional topknot and placing the relic around the topknot.

Pulling the strap for the sword sheath over his chest so that the handle stuck over his right shoulder, Zuko thought he looked great. The red shirt was loose, and had a v-shaped neckline which was tied close with a simple brown string. The black pants were tight, but allowed enough movement to not be uncomfortable. And his uncle had been right; the relic did add prestige to his costume. Smiling at how well the few strands of hair shielded his scar, Zuko grabbed his cell and walked out to find his uncle sipping tea in the kitchen.

"Will you tell her tonight?" Iroh asked, not even looking up from the book he was reading.

"Maybe some," Zuko replied. "But I do plan on telling her how I feel."

"Good, good," Iroh said with a smile before he looked up at his nephew.

Zuko saw his uncle's smile broaden as Iroh spotted the topknot. "Ah, I knew the headpiece would look good on you. Call me when you two are ready to come home. Fong has the night off after he drives you and has agreed to join me and Jeong for some Pai Sho."

The scarred teen nodded and walked out and across the street to Toph's house. Fong opened the door and smiled at Zuko when he knocked before leading him to the living room. Zuko sat, and waited for nearly a half hour before he heard giggling coming his way. Standing, he turned to the hallway and saw Katara coming out in front and trying to hold back a giggle in a maroon robe with a wide-brimmed hat and veil over her head and had red paint on her cheeks and arms. The junior spotted Zuko and stared before blushing and moving aside to reveal Toph. The blind girl blushed as Zuko found himself staring at her. She looked even more gorgeous than usual with her black hair straight and long underneath a black three-point pirate hat. The black pants she wore were tighter than everything else she had worn since she had started wearing nice clothes, and the white shirt started below her shoulders and ended at her wrists where she had black leather wrist guards on.

But the bodice caught Zuko's attention. The green bodice was tight, showing how much of a woman Toph was, and her pale breasts rose with every breath she took. Zuko tore his eyes away from her chest and saw a green choker around her neck and some faint makeup on her face, making her look older than she really was.

Zuko tried to speak, but all he could say was, "Wow."

XXXXX

As soon as they reached her house, Toph went to her bathroom to get dressed in her shirt and pants as Katara changed in the bedroom. The pants were tight, really tight, but she could still move in them, so she kept them. Tying her false boot coverings on over her dancing shoes, she went back into her room to where she could hear Katara adjusting her robe. Once she was sure the junior was done, Toph held up the bodice.

"Can you help me with this?" Toph asked.

"Sure, but how does it work?"

"I'll put it on, and hold a few things, and you tie it as tight as you can," Toph replied with a smile and blush.

"Ok," Katara said with a mischievous hint to her tone, obviously noticing Toph's blush.

Toph blew a few of her bangs out of the way, but put on the bodice and held it so Katara could start tying the front up. Before Katara could reach her chest, Toph stopped the junior and took a deep breath as she remembered Ty Lee's instructions. Feeling uncomfortable, Toph grabbed her own chest and pulled up before nodding to Katara.

"Ok, finish tying," Toph said as she tried to keep from blushing at how ridiculous her position was.

Katara was giggling as she finished tying the bodice, making it really tight. When the junior finished, Toph let go and felt her posture straighten and her breath slightly restricted when she tried to take a deep breath. She smiled, knowing it was done properly. Toph brushed her hair as Katara did some of her own makeup before the junior moved to sit behind Toph and grabbed the blind girl's brush and started brushing Toph's hair.

"You should leave it straight," Katara mused. "It's so pretty when it's straight and it will look great with your hat."

Toph nodded, letting Katara have full reign of her favorite pastime; doing hair and makeup. Katara talked about how beautiful Toph would look and how much of an impression she would make on Zuko. Toph's dad stopped by while Katara was doing her makeup, and thankfully Toph had her back to the door.

"It looks good," Lao commented. "But be careful tonight, Toph. A storm is coming in."

"I have my phone, dad," Toph said with a smile. "I'll be fine."

"Ok," Lao said hesitantly. "I'm going to go pick up your mother from the airport, and we'll be home when you get home." He paused and Katara continued to do her makeup for a minute of pure silence, but Toph knew her dad hadn't left yet. "Be careful, Toph," he finally said.

"I will Dad," Toph said as she turned her head to the door between makeup applications and smiled at her father.

She heard her father nod and then he left. Katara giggled after her father was gone and Toph questioned her friend with her expression.

"It's a good thing he only saw your back," Katara said with another giggle. "There, you're done. Let me finish up my stuff and we'll be set."

Toph nodded and rose to place a choker around her neck and the wrist guards she had on while she waited for Katara to finish her costume. During that time, she heard her father leave and then Fong answer a knock on the front door. She was sure Zuko was waiting for them, but Katara took forever, never quite happy until her sixth attempt with a special kind of makeup.

"Ok, ready to surprise Zuko?" Katara asked.

Toph nodded and smiled and Katara giggled as she whispered what Zuko might look like on the way out to the living room. When they reached it, Toph heard Zuko get up and Katara's breathing stopped for a second. Then Katara moved aside so Toph could get through and Toph heard Zuko's breathe catch. She blushed and then smiled towards Zuko as he breathed, "wow."

"Well, by Sugar Queen's reaction, you turned out really nice," Toph smirked. "And by your reaction, so did I."

"Yeah, um," Zuko stuttered for a second before he took a deep breath. "You guys ready?"

Toph nodded and heard Fong coming towards them from the kitchen. "The car is ready," Fong said and turned back to the kitchen and started heading to the garage. Katara followed him, and Toph followed, trailed by Zuko. Fong had Zuko sit up front next to him as the girls took the back seat and Katara leaned over to whisper in Toph's ear as the car started moving.

"I never thought he'd look that good," Katara said. "He's in a loose red shirt with really tight black pants and his hair is up. Though there are a few strands over his scar and he's wearing something on his head. Do you know what it is?"

"It's a family relic," Zuko said from the front, obviously hearing Katara. Toph smiled as she heard a slight frown in Zuko's tone and could have sworn Katara was blushing. "It's a topknot and a traditional piece from my heritage."

Katara nodded and turned silent for the rest of the car ride. They soon arrived at Katara's house and Toph grabbed her swing cd as she got out.

"Iroh said he will pick you up when you're ready to head home, miss," Fong said before Toph exited. "Just give him a call, or have Zuko call his uncle."

"Ok, thanks Fong," Toph answered, smiling.

She heard Fong nod and the car pulled away once the three were walking to the house. Once inside, Sokka pulled Zuko away to help hang up some difficult decorations while Katara pulled Toph to the kitchen where the blind girl heard Suki stirring some punch.

"Anything yet?" Suki asked when she spotted the two younger girls.

"No, but maybe tonight by their reactions to each other," Katara said smugly.

Toph frowned and handed Katara the cd. "Play that tonight, and you'll see something. I hope. Now lay off of it and tell me what I can do."

Katara nodded and took the cd, and had Toph help her with the snacks and preparations until the guests started arriving. Everyone was mingling fine, though Toph couldn't hear Zuko's voice. She asked Katara where he was and found out he was hanging out in a corner with Longshot and Smellerbee and made her way over to them. Just before she reached the group, she was hugged by a smaller boy.

"Heya Toph!" the boy said and Toph smiled as she recognized Longshot's little brother, Wayne.

"Hi, The Duke," Toph grinned as she felt a helmet bump into her chest. "Can you lead me to your brother and my friend? I can't hear them with all these people."

She barely made out the sound of The Duke nodding before he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the corner.

"Your friend is kinda scary looking," The Duke said as he pulled Toph through the crowd. "And he's almost as quiet as my brother. He didn't get throat damage too, did he?"

"No," Toph replied with a laugh and smile. "But sometimes I think he has brain damage."

"This coming from the girl who can take a punch and then pin a guy at least twice her size," Zuko muttered as she and Wayne joined the group.

Toph just smirked up at her friend and gestured to The Duke as the younger boy let go of her hand.

"Sunshine, this is Wayne, also known as The Duke. He's Longshot's little brother. The Duke, this is Zuko, who I call Sunshine," Toph said as she introduced the two.

Wayne nodded to Zuko and Smellerbee let a low chuckle out.

"Why so puzzled Zuko? Is it their names?" Smellerbee asked Zuko.

Toph heard Zuko nod as she edged closer to him.

"Their dad is a huge John Wayne fan," Smellerbee stated. "And little Wayne followed in his dad's footsteps. I'm surprised he isn't dressed as John Wayne this year like he is every other year."

"Longshot wouldn't let me," the boy grumbled. "But I like your costume, Zuko. Did you and Toph pick them out together?"

Zuko nodded and Toph heard the music start up. She talked with The Duke and Smellerbee more as Longshot stood quietly next to his girlfriend and Zuko put in a few comments as they talked about school and life. Toph was glad Zuko was starting to relax until they heard a swing song start.

"You want to dance?" Toph asked Zuko.

He remained silent, as if listening to the tempo and then took her hand and led her out to the dance floor as a lot of people left, though some remained and continued to dance either in their own way or with basic swing moves. Toph tossed her hat to Smellerbee as she studied the rhythm of the music. It was a little fast, but that was the way she liked it.

"Can you handle this?" Zuko asked her quietly as the brass section entered the music.

"Can you?" Toph asked back with a challenge in her tone.

She waited for an answer, but Zuko remained silent and instead pulled her into a basic turn. He started with the basics, as if determining how good she was, and when she moved perfectly to every move and signal he gave her, he started doing more complex turns. She was surprised, but pleased as Zuko led her from eight count to six count effortlessly, spinning her all around and she never once caught her foot on his and knew he was doing everything right. Toph heard people clapping to the music around them as they moved into even more complex moves and did some Charleston moves as well as some really tight turns. The song started to wind down and Toph heard Zuko breathing heavily as she felt sweat bead on her forehead and, as the song ended, Zuko spun her again and pulled her into a dip.

She tried to catch her breath and heard him trying to do the same as everyone applauded their dance. Toph felt his breath on her face, his face inches away from hers as he leaned over her while she was held up by his arm. She was sure he would kiss her, but he rose and pulled her up next to him.

"You're a hit," Toph told Zuko with a grin as she heard people start to approach them.

"Yeah," he said in an unsteady tone. "Uh, this way."

Toph was puzzled as he kept a hold of her hand and pulled her away from the crowd as some hip hop started up and most everyone moved to reclaim the dance floor. Smellerbee handed her hat back to her as Zuko pulled her to and up the stairs and to a guest room that Katara kept as a hobby room for her sewing and dance practice. Toph heard rain pounding on the roof and knew the storm her father had warned her about had started, though she hoped it would get lighter and that thunder wouldn't make an appearance. She hated thunder. Her thoughts were interrupted by Zuko as he dropped her hand and stepped up to her.

"You ok Sunshine?" she asked as she smiled up at him, trying to ease the tension that suddenly filled the room with a smile and some teasing.

XXXXX

Zuko could only stare at Toph. She was so gorgeous, and so perfect. Too good for him, but he knew he needed to follow his uncle's advice and let her choose. She had been perfect in her dancing, following his lead effortlessly and flawlessly, knowing where to be for every move and he had tried some of the most difficult moves he knew. And yet, still she had kept up with him and had made it look perfect. Like they had danced together for years. He had wanted to kiss her as he dipped her at the end of the dance, but the applause made him lose his concentration on Toph and he knew he couldn't kiss her in front of everyone. He wanted to do it someplace private, and Sokka had shown him the perfect place while they grabbed decorations. The scarred teen stepped up towards Toph as she tried to ease the tension, but he knew he needed and wanted to do this.

"You're perfect," he told her softly, and he heard a huskiness enter his voice as his eyes strayed to her lips. "Too perfect for me. I don't know if you feel the same, but I hope so," he said.

Toph looked like she was confused and about to question him when he captured her lips with his own and kissed her. She was frozen for a second and Zuko thought he had gone too far until her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled herself closer to him in a chaste kiss. He knew by the way she was kissing him that it was her first, so he kissed her gently, easing into the kiss. But she seemed to feel his need for more and her body molded against his as she opened her mouth, wanting and giving more passion. Zuko obliged until he heard something that sounded like someone coming up the stairs. He separated himself from her and pulled away slightly, seeing Toph looking flushed before her cheeks turned crimson in a blush and she pulled back as well, though she kept her hands on his shoulders. Zuko watched her eyes and face and saw her looking flustered and slightly confused, though she seemed happy as well.

"Wow," she finally breathed and Zuko nodded absently, feeling the same.

They heard a sound coming from the stairway and stepped away from each other, blushing.

"Um, I have to use the restroom," Toph said in a rush as they heard someone coming up the stairs.

All Zuko could do was nod as he tried to get his breath back from the kiss and he slowly followed her down. He saw Pipsqueak at the door in a bear costume and Sokka turning a girl Zuko recognized away from the stairs and towards one of the two bathrooms on the first floor. The blue-eyed senior gave Zuko an odd look as Toph hurried past, trying to hide her blush beneath her hat as she rushed to the farthest bathroom. Zuko shrugged to Sokka's questioning look and the other senior shrugged back as Zuko walked slowly and without purpose along the back wall as people danced and talked throughout the large family room. Smellerbee and Longshot waved him over and he talked with them until he heard Hahn's voice.

"You an I are meant for each other," Hahn was saying in a desperate tone and it sounded as if he was angry. "What makes that scar-faced loser any better?! I'm rich, and can get anything for you that you could ever possibly dream of!"

Zuko turned and saw Hahn in a prince's costume cornering Toph. Toph was bristling and it looked like she wanted to punch the arrogant junior, but she merely glared at Hahn.

"You don't understand me, or him," Toph said, trying to push Hahn away. "Leave me alone, Dumbass. I don't want to hear your voice ever again!"

"How dare you?!" Hahn shouted and backhanded Toph across her face.

Toph looked shocked and brought one hand to her cheek which was already turning pink, but all Zuko saw was the red of his rage as he marched over to Hahn as the snotty junior tried to grab Toph again. Zuko grabbed Hahn's reaching arm and pulled him away from Toph, shoving him away from the blind girl.

"Leave me alone, ass-hole," Hahn sneered as he tried to punch Zuko.

Zuko saw the punch coming and grabbed Hahn's arm, twisting it as he flipped Hahn over his shoulder. Hahn landed hard, but got up when Zuko let his arm go and moved to punch the scarred teen again. Zuko moved to the side and punched Hahn in the nose. The arrogant junior fell, clutching his bleeding nose and crying as Zuko loomed over him.

"Don't ever, ever hit a woman again," Zuko growled. "Or I'll kill you."

Hahn just nodded weakly, whimpering as he held his nose and Zuko looked up and saw everyone watching him. Toph stared at him for a second before bolting for the front door. He struggled against the crowd, trying to reach her, but she had disappeared by the time he reached the front door. Sokka hurried to his side, having lost the hat to his Indiana Jones costume, gasping as Zuko looked out at the pouring rain and the darkness that seemed to swallow everything.

"I dunno where she went," Sokka said as he tried to catch his breath.

"I'm going after her," Zuko said and started to head out, but Sokka caught his shoulder.

"Wait, she might not want to talk to you," the blue-eyed senior said as he caught his breath and studied Zuko.

"I know," Zuko said, meeting Sokka's gaze. "But I need to explain why I reacted like that."

Sokka studied him a moment longer before smiling and gabbing a leather jacket off of a coat hanger and handing it to Zuko.

"Be careful, it's raining cats and dogs out there."

Zuko nodded, and took the jacket, putting it on before he stepped out into the downpour. He saw lightning flash and the thunder boomed two seconds later as he glanced around. He didn't see any sign of Toph and started walking towards their neighborhood, calling out her name. He had nearly reached the end of the street, and he was already soaked as he continued to call, becoming more panicked as he received only the sound of falling rain in answer.

"Toph? Toph, where are you? Look, I'm sorry, but please, answer me."

"Zuko?" he heard faintly and from his left.

He peered though the rain and made out a figure moving under a tree across the street from him.

"Zuko? Is that you?" he heard Toph ask in a frightened voice.

Zuko hurried across the street and stopped as soon as he entered the shelter of the tree. Toph stood three feet away from him and had her head cocked as if she were listening for something. She was drenched, and the white blouse was now see-though on her arms and clung to her body. The blind girl was shivering violently and her breath was visible as she rubbed her arms in an attempt to get warm. Lighting and thunder went off again and Toph jumped.

"Zuko, you there?" Toph asked, fear controlling her tone and flashing over her face.

"I'm right here," Zuko stated and Toph brightened, running to him and hugging him under the tree.

He noticed she had lost her hat at some point and her makeup was smeared and nearly gone as she clung to him. He felt awkward and ran a hand over her head and down her back as he tried to soothe her. Toph jumped as thunder rumbled again and then stepped back, firmly punching Zuko in the stomach as she glared up towards his face. He lost his breath and nearly doubled over from her strong hit, but managed to stay upright as she placed her hands on her hips.

"What the hell was that?!" she shouted at him. "I could have handled the dumbass! Why did you get involved?!"

"I couldn't stand seeing him hit you," Zuko muttered as he tried to get his breath back.

Toph frowned, but turned so that her back was to him and he thought he heard her crying.

"I can't stand seeing any woman be hit by a man," he sighed. Toph just kept her back to him and he pulled out his phone and called his uncle.

"Ready to go so soon?" Iroh asked over the phone.

"We're down the street and need a ride," Zuko stated firmly.

Iroh must have heard the tension in his tone. "Very well, Nephew. I'll be there in ten minutes," Iroh sighed before he hung up. Zuko noticed Toph tensing as she continued to shiver and he pulled the jacket off and laid it on her shoulders.

"Unless you'd rather go back…" Zuko said, but Toph started shaking her head fervently.

"No, take me home," she said in a strained voice, and Zuko nodded as he stepped away from her, sensing she wanted to be left alone. But he did see her cling to the jacket as her shivering lessened.

They waited in silence until Zuko spotted his uncle's car and stepped out into the rain to flag him down. Once Iroh stopped the car, Zuko went back to Toph.

"My uncle's here," he told her gently and she nodded, stepping towards him and looking up at him, almost waiting as she left a foot between them. Zuko started walking to his uncle's car and opened the back door for Toph. She slid in and moved to the far side and Zuko slid in next to her, unnerved by her silent demeanor. He knew he should have let her handle the situation, but his anger had won when Hahn had hit her and he couldn't stop himself. He was glad that all he had done was break Hahn's nose, and he was sure he would hear about it for the entire week, from school, his uncle, and Toph's parents. The scarred teen noticed Iroh glancing back at them though the rear-view mirror as they sat in uncomfortable silence for the trip home. The rain started to slacken as they pulled into the driveway and Toph got out as soon as the car stopped.

"Bye," she said simply and started walking to her house.

Zuko glanced at his uncle and Iroh gave him shooing motions towards Toph and mouthed 'Go after her' to his nephew. Zuko nodded and hurried after Toph, stopping when she turned back towards him just before they reached her porch. He started shivering as the rain turned into a heavy drizzle and Toph continued to stare at him as if she were studying him.

"Yes?" she asked curtly.

"I…I'm sorry," Zuko muttered.

"For what?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly and Zuko was sure he saw tears come to her eyes, but it could have been just the rain.

"For overreacting to Hahn," he replied. "I still meant everything I said and did, and would do it all over again if I had to."

Her face softened for a moment and Zuko decided to press his luck. "I like you, and I want to tell you. Everything. Can we talk, tomorrow?"

Toph continued to study him as her jaw dropped open in shock. "You meant everything?" she whispered after a minute of silence.

"Yes," Zuko whispered.

Toph smiled at him and nodded. "Tomorrow then."

Zuko smiled slightly as Toph turned to head into her house. He watched her until the door closed her off and he heaved a sigh of relief. The night hadn't turned out nearly as well as he had planned, but he had done what he needed to do, and it looked like Toph was going to forgive him for his reaction to Hahn.

A/N: And don't forget to Review! Thanks! =)


	11. The Past

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading, reviewing and being patient. Again, a huge thanks to my beta, DeepAzulaEyes. Don't forget to review! Also, I'm selling Avon now, so if anyone is interested, you can check out my website on my profile. Thank You!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

Chapter 11

He was awake and saw the dawn light coming through a slit in the curtains. It was Saturday, but that didn't matter to his internal clock. Zuko had always been an early riser. He got up and made his way to the garage, keeping his sweat pants on, but left his shirt off. The chill of autumn had invaded the house and he knew it would be worse in the garage, but Zuko also knew that in no time at all, he would be hot and sweaty. He started hitting and kicking the punching bag, warming up before he moved onto some forms. Iroh entered the garage with a steaming cup of tea as Zuko finished a difficult routine.

"You seem agitated, Nephew," Iroh remarked.

"I'm telling her today," Zuko said as he passed his uncle to head to his shower.

Iroh nodded and went to the kitchen as Zuko reached his bathroom and thought over what he was going to tell Toph. The hot water felt good and helped relax him as he thought about the night before. It had been worth it, kissing Toph, and even breaking Hahn's nose, but now he was nervous again about telling Toph about his past. But he had told her he would and now he had to wait for her to get up. From talking with Sokka in history and gym, Zuko had found out that Toph was a late riser, sleeping in to 9 or 10 on the weekends. When he got out of the shower and started getting dressed, he saw it was only 8:30. Sighing, he went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and found his uncle watching him as the general sipped some tea.

"Good morning, Zuko," Iroh said with a smile. "Not ready yet?"

"No," Zuko said as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. "Toph sleeps in."

Iroh smiled and nodded and continued to study his nephew. Zuko grew tired of it and frowned at his uncle as he finished his breakfast.

"What?" Zuko asked, trying not to growl as Iroh continued to watch him after he placed his bowl in the dishwasher.

"What happened last night?" Iroh asked with a knowing smile.

Zuko scowled, but was interrupted by his phone ringing. Hearing Toph's ringtone, he answered it quickly.

"Hey," he said, turning his back to his uncle to avoid Iroh's penetrating gaze.

"Hi, um, where did you want to talk?" Toph asked.

"Can we go to that place where we talked two weeks ago?" Zuko asked.

"Sure, meet you outside in a few," Toph said before she hung up the phone.

Zuko slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to see Iroh questioning him with his expression.

"I'll tell you later," Zuko muttered before he grabbed his leather jacket and hurried out the front door.

He took a deep breath once he was outside. He waited for a minute until he saw Toph coming out her front door. She was frowning, but smiled as he walked up to her. Zuko was unsure how to approach her after showing her how he felt the night before and he saw Toph blush when he stopped in front of her, but she smiled and started walking towards the beach.

"You ok?" he asked as he started walking next to her.

"Yeah, my dad didn't approve, but I got out anyways," Toph replied.

Zuko nodded and glanced at her as they walked. She was in tight black jeans again, but had a large, comfortable looking, green sweatshirt on and her hair was up in its usual bun. She turned to smile at him and he smiled back.

"What about you. Are you ok?" she asked.

XXXXX

She heard Zuko shrug in answer to her question and figured he was probably nervous about telling her about himself. They walked in silence to the rocks and Toph heard Zuko move his head around as if looking for people before he started climbing the rocks. She was surprised how well he found the cave after only being there once before. Toph followed him and he grabbed her hand and helped her up the last few steps. She felt herself blush, but pulled her hand away quickly once she was in the cave. She could take care of herself and was determined to make Zuko see that. Hearing Zuko sit on the ledge in the back, Toph went and sat near him, leaving almost a foot between them. She had been ecstatic about the kiss the night before and her heart had swelled when he told her he meant everything that he had said and done, but she was still mad at him for beating up Hahn before she could have.

Zuko took a deep breath and sighed and it also sounded like he was running a hand through his hair. "I've never told anyone this in this short amount of time," Zuko started hesitantly before he let out a sharp, hoarse laugh. "It took my uncle a year and nearly twice that for a therapist to get me to tell them what I'm about to tell you. All I ask is that you not interrupt, because I may not start again."

Toph felt his breath on her face as he turned to her and thought it smelled like cinnamon, exactly like how he had tasted the night before. Nodding her acceptance to his terms, she tried to get the thought of what Zuko tasted like out of her mind and concentrate on what he was going to tell her. He took another deep breath and started talking, his tone even, though Toph made out many emotions in his voice as he spoke.

"My family was perfect from an outsider's point of view," Zuko started with a tinge of irony. "But we were anything but. My uncle served as a four star general overseas, and his son had died in the first surge into Afghanistan after 9/11. My aunt had died from cancer a few years before, and though my uncle was grieved by his losses, he still made time to visit us and continued to work. My father," Zuko said, almost spitting out the word 'father', "worked for the government. My mom stayed home and had a part-time computer business while my sister and I went to a private school and excelled at our classes."

He took another deep breath and almost laughed bitterly as he said the next thing. "Although Azula was always better at everything than I was. My father loved her for it and hated me for not being equal or better. But that's beside the point. I didn't know my father was abusive until I was ten. He did it while we were in bed, after he came home late. I caught him hitting my mom for not cleaning the kitchen properly when I was ten."

Toph felt sorry for Zuko as she heard rage and regret enter his tone. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but knew he didn't need that, not yet.

"I started seeing the bruises she tried to hide and asked her why she let him hit her. My mom said it was none of my business, but after a really nasty bruise formed over her eye, she told me it was to protect my sister and me. I started running away, getting into fights, and my grades dropped. I was so angry at my mom for allowing it to continue, and even angrier at my dad for doing it," Zuko said as Toph heard him grip his knees in anger and the rage became even more intensive in his tone.

"When I was thirteen, I came home late to find my dad home and looking at our report cards. My sister idolized my father, and she waited while our dad read them. He looked up and glared at me before he turned to frown at my sister. He asked her if she thought she was better than he was and she looked confused. I pulled her away from him when I saw him getting angry and before he could turn his anger on me, my mom was there, telling us to get upstairs and do our homework."

He sighed and it sounded as if Zuko was reliving that day, and that the worst was still to come. Toph scooted closer to him and waited as Zuko drifted off into silence for a minute before he continued.

"I heard shouting and then a door slammed and I heard my dad's car peeling out. Hearing my mom on the phone, I knew she was ok, and turned on my cd player. My sister left to hang out with her friends and I stayed in my room. I heard my sister call later and found out she was staying at her friend's house that night. Much later that night, I woke up to near silence and heard my mom in the kitchen and talking, almost pleading, with someone."

Toph heard him clench his fists and heard his anger enter his tone again, though he tried to breathe evenly and stay clam.

"I heard my dad, though I couldn't make out what was said and then I heard a slap and then someone hitting the floor. Hard. I grabbed the knife my uncle had given me, and started sneaking towards the kitchen. I heard my mom begging for my father to stop, that she was sorry, but he continued to hit her, every time she got up. I saw his back as the tea kettle started to steam and moved towards him, ready to stab my father for hitting my mother."

Toph heard so many emotions in Zuko's tone, she couldn't name them all, but she knew he was confident enough that if he had to choose how to react that night, he would do the same thing again. She scooted closer to him and placed a hand on one of his. He was trembling, whether from fear or rage, she didn't know, but he stopped when she touched him. She felt his breath on her face as he took a deep breath and Zuko seemed to calm down before he continued.

"He turned and saw me and I rushed him, yelling at him to leave my mom alone. I had been learning martial arts since I could walk, but I was still a novice compared to my father. He twisted and hit me, knocking me down. I can still hear my mom's scream as I went down, but I was up again in a flash with my knife out. He laughed when he saw it, but stopped when I rushed him again. Again, he turned and twisted out of the way, hitting me, but not before I was able to cut his arm. When I rushed him again, he grabbed the tea kettle and then I saw the bottom of the kettle heading for the left side of my face."

Zuko stopped and it sounded like he was touching the left side of his face where his scar was. Toph felt so bad for him, and squeezed his hand as if to let him know she was there for him. The sound of his other hand dropping back to his knee came to her before he started again.

"I don't remember much else except the pain and then the sounds of sirens. I later learned the neighbors had called the cops when they heard my parents fighting and I was rushed to the hospital. Both my mother and I were treated, but my father had escaped. My uncle was called, and a warrant was issued for my dad, but he had disappeared. The next day, we were released from the hospital and since my uncle was still flying in from Germany, and the sheriffs would guard us anywhere, my mother took us back to our house. My sister stayed with her friend, but she didn't seem to care."

He sneered at the last comment, and Toph wondered what else had gone on between Zuko and his sister. But she continued to pay attention to him.

"My left eye was bandaged and I felt like crap, but the pain pills helped. I went straight to bed and my mom did the same. Late that night, or early the next morning, I heard some scuffling coming from my parent's bedroom. I got up quietly and made my way down the stairs and towards their room. I stopped when I saw a figure moving in the hall and waited. I saw my dad exit the house and then I heard him move something against the front door. I almost went to investigate, but I smelled smoke, and my mom hadn't come out. Hurrying to the back of the house, I felt heat coming from her room and saw smoke coming out of the cracks around her door. I kicked the door open and found my mom on the floor. It looks like he had beaten her to within an inch of her life. There was blood everywhere and she looked like a broken doll."

Zuko's breath caught and Toph heard what sounded like a sob caught in his throat. She squeezed his hand again as he clenched his fists and she felt several scars on the back of his hands and some on his palm as well. She wanted to erase the scars and the pain he felt, but remained silent, knowing he wasn't done yet. Zuko took another deep breath, releasing the death grip he had on his knees before he continued.

"The fire had been started in the closet and I heard sounds coming from the back door where the kitchen was and the sound of a fire coming from the front of the house. I grabbed my mom as gently as I could and half-dragged, half-carried her as I made my way to the kitchen. The fire swelled, and I felt heat all around me as the second story caught fire. The walls and ceiling started to catch fire as I reached the kitchen and a lot of debris was falling on us. The kitchen door was blocked, I heard sirens approaching and I was coughing from all the smoke. I dragged my mom to the dining room and broke the large window there before dragging my mom out as carefully as I could."

Zuko took another deep breath and the anger in his tone dissipated as he calmed down. Toph could even feel his pulse slow as she shifted her hand slightly to touch his wrist while still keeping her hand on his.

"A firefighter spotted us and took us away from the building. My father had killed the two sheriffs watching our place before starting the fire. My uncle arrived the next morning while I sat next to my mom in the hospital. She was in critical condition and it was touch and go for a few months. Uncle took guardianship of my sister and I and we entered witness protection while the authorities searched for my father. My sister didn't understand, or didn't want to understand and even made contact with my dad a few times. She even tried to kill me, twice. After that, my uncle had her put into a school and home for the mentally unstable. We kept moving and changing names, but my father always found us. So my uncle took us out of the program and formed a network of his old friends and we just change our last names now, always moving to a place where his friends are. The moves are less frequent now, but we still have to move whenever we get word that my father has been seen around us."

Toph felt Zuko turn to her and take her hands in his, and she blushed at how nice it felt for him to be holding her hands.

"Toph, I told you the truth last night. I like you, but it's your choice whether to go further or not. Now you know why I can't stand seeing a woman mistreated. I ignored it for years and then nearly lost my mom and my own life when I tried to stop it. It's dangerous for you to know me, and I'm pretty sure your dad recognized me somehow," he said as Toph felt his breath on her face. She smelled the scent that was uniquely him, like cinnamon and spice and warmth with a little bit of bonfire in it and understood the reason behind that now. He leaned forward and kissed her gently and Toph wanted it to continue, but Zuko pulled back after kissing her for only a second. "It's your choice, and I won't rush you, I just needed to do that once more."

With that, Zuko pulled away and moved a foot away from her, giving her space and seemed to be waiting for an answer. Toph thought over everything he had told her and knew it was a lot to digest. He had left a few details out that she wanted to know, but she knew he had relived the entire event as he told her and those details were insignificant compared to everything else.

"How old is your sister and how often do you move?" Toph asked.

"Azula's sixteen, but looks a little older than Katara. And we move every time we get word that my dad is getting close. The longest I've stayed in a place was eight months, while the shortest was two and a half months," Zuko stated calmly.

Toph nodded. Zuko had only lived in her hometown for a month, but would his dad show up and ruin everything?

"Have you had any girlfriends before?" Toph asked with a blush. "You sure seem to know how to kiss."

She thought that Zuko was blushing, too, by his silence before she heard him nod. "Yeah, once. About eight months ago, I moved to a town where one of my sister's old friends had moved to. We started going out, but she told my sister about us dating and my dad showed up. I broke up with her through a note. Hey, why is this just you interrogating me?"

Toph chuckled. "Fine, Mr. Mysterious. What do you want to know since we're revealing all?"

"Why didn't you hear me when I got under the tree last night?" Zuko asked in a serious tone.

Toph frowned as she thought about the night before when she had run out from the party. Her only thought had been to get away from Zuko and Hahn and all men wanting to run her life, but then the storm had drowned out all her senses and she had become lost. She had been grateful to find the shelter of the tree and had just hoped for the storm to lesson until she heard Zuko calling for her. She shivered as she thought about how blind she had really been and heard Zuko scoot closer to her and take one of her hands in his.

"I don't like storms," Toph stated. "The pounding rain is the only sound I hear and it just drowns out everything else. I lose my bearings - and I _hate_ thunder."

"Thunder's not that bad," Zuko said in an easy tone. "Lightning is what's dangerous."

"Yeah," Toph said as she frowned at Zuko and pulled her hand away. "But I can't _see_ lightning. And thunder just comes out of nowhere and echoes all around me. And, I can take care of myself!"

Zuko chuckled. "I know," he said with a smile in his tone. "But I told you, I couldn't help myself. I'll try and do better next time."

Toph started smiling again. "You better," she growled playfully and Zuko chuckled again. She turned sober again as her thoughts turned to what he had told her, especially at the end. "But, what if you have to move again? What will happen…with…us?"

Zuko sighed. "I asked my uncle the same thing when he told me I should tell you. He told me there are a few people who can watch out for you here, and we can still have contact." He paused for a few seconds before he started speaking hesitantly. "Do you want there to be an …us?"

Toph felt her cheeks heat up in a blush and dipped her head to try and hide it. "I don't know," she whispered. "It's a lot of stuff to digest." An idea came to her and she brightened. "Will you go to homecoming with me? We can go with the gang."

"I guess," Zuko said. "I mean, yeah."

Toph smiled and stood, stretching. "Well, I'm sure you'll be able to find a suit in time. But as much as I love this place, I need to move around. I'm sure the old man is wondering if you've abducted me."

She heard Zuko tense and punched his arm gently and smiled as she passed him on the way to the entrance.

"Come on Sunshine, let's get some sun while there's still some warmth out there."

XXXXX

Zuko nodded and followed Toph out of the cave. She seemed happy and less anxious than when they had started walking earlier that morning. He thought she understood why he reacted the way he did, and she seemed to like him as much as he liked her. But what he had told her was a lot for anyone to take in. Toph waited until he jumped down beside her and he soaked up the warmth of the sun before a cool breeze blew in from the ocean. Toph started walking, obviously more at ease, but stopped suddenly as a female giggle and male laugh came from behind them.

"No way!" Toph breathed before she turned and Zuko followed her lead and saw Aang and Katara approaching them, laughing and smiling at each other while holding hands. The two spotted Zuko and Toph and their smiles widened as they hurried to catch up.

"Hi guys!" Aang said cheerfully and Toph started smirking. "We were just looking for you two."

"Your dad said you guys came out here, and we wanted to make sure you were ok," Katara said as she tried to hide a blush and glanced from Zuko to Toph.

"We're fine Sugar Queen," Toph said, continuing to smirk. "Just needed to talk. What's up between you two?"

Katara blushed more and tried to hide their joined hands, but Aang pulled the older girl closer to him.

"We're going out now," the cheerful sophomore stated with a slight blush and a huge gin.

Zuko nodded as Toph started laughing. "About time!" the blind girl stated. "What happened?"

"After you guys left, the party kind of died down," Katara said as she continued to blush.

"And Katara did a slow dance with me and I kissed her," Aang said, grinning. "Sokka saw and went ballistic, but I made my intentions clear and we're now going out."

"Yeah, now it'll be two couples instead of a group going to homecoming," Katara sighed, but smiled at Aang and Toph made gagging sounds as the two kissed.

Zuko just gave Toph a wry smile, thinking about how she didn't mind so much when he was kissing her.

"But enough about us, what happened last night?" Katara asked.

The blue-eyed junior glanced at Zuko but he merely looked at Toph, hoping she would find a way to explain what had happened.

Toph shrugged. "We were enjoying the party and dancing when the dumbass cornered me. Before I could beat him up, he slapped me and then Sunshine here beat him up. I got angry that he did what I wanted to do and stormed out. He followed me and we went home."

"Is that it?" Katara asked slyly. Toph remained silent and Katara narrowed her eyes at Zuko before turning back to Toph. "Sokka told me you guys went upstairs after your dance, and then you guys seemed pretty flustered when you came back down before the big fight with Hahn."

"Doesn't matter," Toph said, waving it off, though Zuko could see a faint blush on Toph's cheeks as he felt his own cheeks heat up, thinking about what they had done upstairs. "Oh, and we're going to homecoming."

Katara brightened immediately and Aang grinned at his new girlfriend's excitement. "As a couple or with the group?" Katara asked.

Toph shrugged and Katara stepped up and grabbed Toph's hands. "Oh, we can go get our dresses! I can drive us." Katara turned to Aang. "Is it ok if we go right now?"

Aang nodded and Zuko watched Toph. Toph seemed to be thinking about whether to go or not and she smiled.

"Fine, Sweetness. Let's go before I change my mind. Sunshine, you ok with that?"

"Have fun," Zuko said with a small smirk to which Toph sighed, but she went with Katara back to the street.

"I'm glad everything is working out," Aang said from beside Zuko as they watched the girls leave.

"How so?" Zuko asked.

Aang turned his head to smile at Zuko. "Katara and I, you guys, everyone coming together." Zuko started to protest, but Aang spoke up again. "I saw you kissing Toph upstairs and it gave me the idea to kiss Katara."

Zuko felt his face fall in shock, and quickly recovered to give Aang a small smile. "I knew I heard someone sneaking up the stairs. I'm heading home then, you?"

"Yeah, I'll walk with you. It's on the way to my house."

Zuko nodded and the two walked back, Aang thankfully staying silent until they reached Zuko's house.

"Hey, do you still need to get a suit or rent a tux?" Aang asked expectantly.

"No, I have one," Zuko replied and Aang nodded.

"Ok, I'm getting mine with Sokka tomorrow and just wanted to check if you needed one. Wanna come to the mall anyways?"

"Can't, family stuff," Zuko stated and waved goodbye to Aang before he hurried into his house. He was feeling better about the day until he saw his uncle waiting in the kitchen and frowning.

"What happened last night?" Iroh asked calmly. "A Mr. Du-moss called while you were out and said you broke his son's nose for no reason."

Zuko sighed and slipped into the chair across from his uncle. "I did break Hahn's nose, but it was because he hit Toph."

Iroh's face fell into shock and worry before anger shown in his amber eyes. Iroh then took a deep breath and his face became impassive again. "Explain to me the events from when Fong dropped you off until I picked you up."

Zuko nodded and relayed everything, helping Sokka set up, dancing with Toph, then leading her upstairs to kiss her and then the confrontation with Hahn and Toph running out. He watched his uncle's face and saw the anger in Iroh's eyes become stronger when Zuko told of Hahn slapping Toph, but then Iroh started smiling at how Zuko had pulled Hahn away and tried to push him away before having to punch Hahn. But Iroh's face returned to calm as Zuko told him about finding Toph and her punching him and then what had happened after they got home and that morning.

Iroh nodded after Zuko finished. "I'll call Fong and then Mr. Du-Moss and tell them the real tale. I'm surprised Mr. Bei Fong hasn't called yet." The general smiled and got up to lay a hand on Zuko's shoulder on the way to the phone. "I'm proud of you, Zuko. Has Toph decided what to do yet?"

"No," Zuko replied. "But we're going to homecoming with her friends. I need to get my suit out from storage."

"Good, good," Iroh said with a smile. "And since you two are getting along so well, why don't you invite her to come with us to visit your mother tomorrow?"

Zuko shook his head. "No, if he's watching Mom, Toph may be endangered. Maybe the next time."

Iroh sighed and moved onto the phone. "Very well, Nephew."

Zuko smiled slightly at his uncle and headed towards the garage to start searching for his suit for homecoming.

XXXXX

Toph sighed as Katara dragged her through the mall. She wasn't sure what she would wear, and hoped Katara wouldn't make her try on too many things. Katara led Toph into a large shop and Toph felt a sense of dread as she heard girlish giggling and smelled nothing but silk and lace all around her.

"Sweetness, where are we?" Toph asked hesitantly.

"In a dress shop," Katara said as Toph heard her start to move clothes around.

"Fine," Toph sighed. "I'll find a place to sit while you try on endless dresses."

"Toph," Katara said enthusiastically, "I think I found one for you!"

Toph paused before she could walk away and turned back to her friend, almost fearing what Katara had found. "What does it look like?" Toph asked as calmly as she could.

"It's green, and silk, a simple cut with shoulder straps. You should try it on!"

Toph sighed in despair. "What size is it?"

"A three."

"Fine," Toph stated and grabbed Katara's arm. "Lead me to the dressing room and you have to be honest with me."

"I will, I promise," Katara said with a laugh before leading Toph to the back and to a dressing room. Once Toph was alone, she felt every inch of the dress and found it was a full-length dress, simple cut with comfortable-feeling straps over the shoulders. She quickly changed into the dress and found it fit her perfectly and wasn't too long for her either.

"Toph, are you done?" Katara asked.

"Yes, coming out," Toph replied and opened the door, stepping out to a gasp from Katara.

"Is it really that bad?" Toph asked. "I thought it felt ok."

"No, it's beautiful!" Katara replied. "It fits you perfectly! It's almost like a 20's style dress, and makes you look elegant. Zuko's not going to be able to breathe."

Toph smiled and headed back into the changing room, quickly changing back into her normal clothes.

"It's settled then," she told Katara as she walked out with the dress over her arm. "I'm getting this. I'll wait here while you find yours."

Katara sighed and headed back out while Toph smirked and found a few chairs next to the fitting room. She sat on them and thought about the night before and Zuko's reaction to her costume and then when he had kissed her. Her phone started ringing in her pocket and she smiled and blushed as she recognized Zuko's ringtone.

"Hey Sunshine," she said as she answered her phone.

"Hi, just wanted to let you know I won't be around tomorrow," Zuko told her.

"Why?" Toph asked, suddenly curious. She didn't want to pry, but after he had told her about his past, she wondered what he was up too.

"I'm going to see my mom again," he told her, making no attempt to hide anything.

"Ok, tell her hi for me."

"I will. I gotta go."

"Ok, call me tomorrow after you get back if you want to hang out or do something," Toph told him as she thought about the kiss he had given her again.

"Ok, bye."

"Bye, Sunshine," Toph said and slipped her phone back into her pocket. She was so happy that he had confided in her, and that he wasn't trying to hide anything from her anymore. Toph hoped that she could hang out with Zuko the next day, even if her dad didn't approve of him. She kept thinking about what Zuko had told her that morning and how to move their relationship ahead as she waited for Katara. She knew she really liked Zuko and he liked her back. She was sure he was worried about his past catching up with him, but the one thing Toph had learned was to experience life to its fullest while she could. She smiled dreamily as she thought about Zuko again and hoped they could continue what they started the night before. After an hour of Katara looking at and trying on dresses, she finally chose one and they headed to the cashier to pay for them.

"You've been awfully quiet today," Katara said smugly while they waited in line.

"Just thinking," Toph stated.

"About what?" Katara asked sweetly. "Zuko?"

Toph blushed and was sure Katara was smirking. "Maybe. Hey, could you tell me who the designer of my dress is?"

Katara moved the dress in Toph's arms around. "Flying Lady," Katara said. "Hey, isn't that your mom's company?"

"Yep," Toph said and knew she'd have to show her mom the dress when she got home.

"Well, why don't you ask her and get it for free?" Katara asked in a confused tone as Toph stayed in the line.

"She makes money and so do my dad and this store when I buy it here. I'm not going to take a freebie."

Toph heard Katara open her mouth to object and then shut it promptly. "Ok then, shoes next!"

Toph sighed at her friend's enthusiasm, but let Katara lead her to several shoe stores for the rest of the afternoon and actually found she enjoyed the shopping to an extent.


	12. The Choice

A/N: Thank you everyone who read, reviewed and alerted. And a huge thanks again to my beta, DeepAzulaEyes. So, read, enjoy, and don't forget to review! I love hearing from you, and now…the fun begins.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

Chapter 12

Toph smiled and waved goodbye to Katara after the junior had dropped her off and then made her way into her house. Her good mood instantly evaporated as she felt the tension in the living room and heard her dad and mom waiting for her.

"Toph, we need to talk to you," Lao said sternly.

"Fine, just let me put this away," Toph stated and moved towards her room.

"Now," Lao stated and Toph sighed again and started heading to one of the chairs facing her parents.

"Wait, what do you have there?" Jasmine asked politely.

"A dress, for homecoming," Toph said and her mother was instantly up and at her side as she sat in one of the recliners.

"Oh, this is one of my dresses," Jasmine said happily. "I made it with you in mind, and now you're going to wear it! Lao, this is so great! And, our daughter is going to a dance!"

"Jasmine, we need to discuss last night first," Lao said sternly, but not without compassion and Toph heard her mom nod and return to sit next to Lao. Toph waited and once her mother was seated, Lao turned to his daughter again. "Toph, what happened last night? Mr. Roku from across the street called shortly after Mr. Du-Moss called and both told different tales. Did that boy from across the street actually break Hahn's nose? If he did, I don't want you associating with him, he's dangerous. And why did you come home soaking wet last night?"

Toph frowned. "First of all, yes, Zuko did punch Hahn, but only because Hahn hit me first." She heard her dad gasp.

"Tell me everything that happened," Lao said with a touch of anger in his tone.

Toph nodded. "Zuko came over and Fong drove all of us over. We helped Sokka, Aang and Katara get things ready and then just hung out with friends as they arrived. Zuko and I danced and then…I had to use the restroom. When I came out, Hahn cornered me, acting weird and his breath stunk. He said we were meant for each other and I tried to push him away and he slapped me." Toph gently touched her cheek. It was still a little tender, but not sensitive enough for a bruise. "Well, Zuko pulled Hahn away from me before I could hit him and I heard him flip Hahn when the jerk tried to punch Zuko. I know Zuko did everything he could not to hurt Hahn, but ended up punching him. I was angry that I couldn't beat up the jerk that had dared to hit me and ran out, not realizing it was raining. Zuko came after me and called his uncle and we came home. That's it."

Toph frowned at her father again as she listened to his breathing. He was angry, but maybe not at her. She heard her mom lay a hand on Lao's hand and Lao took a deep breath.

"Thank you Toph, I'm going to call Mr. Du-Moss right now and make sure he knows the truth about his son," Lao said firmly before he got up. He stayed there for a second longer, and his tone was gentle when he spoke again. "Are you sure you're all right, Toph?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Dad," she said with a smile. "Oh, and I'm going with Zuko and our friends to homecoming."

Lao had nodded after she said she was fine, but stopped again at the mention of Zuko.

"Toph dear, why don't you go put your dress away while I talk with your father," Jasmine said softly and Toph nodded, hurrying to her room.

She stopped once she was in her room and shut the door before opening it a crack to hear her parents.

"Jasmine, I don't want her associating with that boy!" Lao said as he started walking towards the kitchen.

"Our little girl is growing up, and she's proven she can take care of herself. And this young man seems to care for her. Remember when we were kids," Jasmine said seductively as Toph heard her follow Lao. "We wouldn't take no for an answer either."

"Jasmine," Lao sighed. "That was different. Toph is blind, and frail, and…"

"And finally wants to wear a dress and look nice for a boy," Jasmine stated back. "And that's why she has a Hung Gar teacher, who, by the way, doesn't really teach her anymore."

"What?" Lao asked, confused.

"I've been checking in on them occasionally, and it seems Toph has been besting her teacher for over a year now. She needs a new challenge, and seems to be enjoying the martial arts club at school."

"That didn't stop her from being hit," Lao grumbled.

"No, but if Zuko hadn't stepped in, I'm sure the boy would have come away with worse than a broken nose," Jasmine said with a smile and a lot of pride in her tone, making Toph smile. At least her mom was coming to understand her.

Toph heard her dad sigh. "Fine, she can go to the dance with her friends, but I still don't like this boy."

"You don't have to," Jasmine said as she kissed her husband and they moved into the kitchen and Toph could no longer hear them. Knowing her mom was on her side, Toph started feeling better and hung the dress in her closet, smiling slightly as she felt the material. She hadn't worn a dress since she was little, and had even refused one for Halloween, but for homecoming, she knew she couldn't wear pants. And, Zuko would probably go crazy seeing her in a dress. She sighed and found her history book as she got onto her bed and started her homework, hoping Zuko was doing all right.

XXXXX

Zuko kept thinking of Toph and the dance as Iroh drove them to the nursing home. She had seemed ok with what he told her and had called him the night before, talking things over with him and had even told him she had gotten a dress for homecoming. He was shocked at that and asked her why since she obviously hated dresses and Toph had laughed at that. She had then told him she just felt like it and that she couldn't wear pants to homecoming. He felt better that he had told her about himself, but he was still apprehensive about his father showing up and ruining everything.

Iroh pulled into the parking lot and Zuko barely waited until his uncle had nodded the ok before he got out and hurried into the nursing home. He wanted to see his mom, and tell her what had happened. And maybe talk to her about his feelings for Toph. The scarred teen was impatient as Iroh talked with the receptionist before turning to his nephew.

"She's in the greenhouse," Iroh said with a smile. "Come Nephew, let us go and see her."

Zuko nodded and followed his uncle towards the back of the nursing home to a greenhouse that had been added on recently. There, he found his mother walking around and pruning some of the plants and roses. She turned and started smiling when she saw as Zuko hurried forward to embrace his mother.

"Oh, Zuko. I didn't expect to see you this soon," Ursa said as she clung to her son.

"I wanted to see you more and Uncle made it possible," Zuko stated as he hugged her back before he drew away to get a good look at her. She seemed better than when he had last been there and he was glad to see her up and moving around.

"Hello, Iroh," Ursa said with a smile as she looked past Zuko.

Zuko moved so that his uncle could embrace Ursa in a gentle hug and glanced around. Several security guards patrolled outside and two male nurses who looked like they could handle themselves were inside the greenhouse. The greenhouse itself was neat and comforting and Zuko recognized many herbs that his mother and uncle had grown in the past as well as many flowering plants. His attention turned back to his mother as Iroh escorted Ursa to a set of chairs around a small table. Zuko followed them and sat on the other side of his mother from Iroh.

"Well, I'm glad things are going so well," Ursa said to Iroh before she turned to Zuko. "And I heard you had some excitement as well. Are you all right? I don't want you to get in trouble again."

"I'm fine, Mom," Zuko told her. "He deserved it, and even though I know Toph could take care of herself, I couldn't see her get hurt."

Ursa nodded wisely and the three continued to talk for a while until Iroh left Zuko alone with his mother and he told her everything, kissing Toph and then telling the blind girl about himself. Ursa laid a hand on Zuko's as he finished and Zuko looked up into her brown eyes.

"I am so proud of you," she told him. "And I'm glad you told the young lady of your feelings. I hope I can meet her one day."

"Yeah, I think you would like her," Zuko said, but he noticed his mother getting tired. "We'll come by and visit again soon," Zuko said as he rose to hug his mother gently.

"Yes, and be careful, dear," Ursa said and Zuko saw worry in her eyes.

"I will - no fights if I can help it," he told her with a small smile.

Ursa nodded and rose, hugging Zuko again. "Well," she said with a smile, "I should be out of here soon. Take care of Iroh, he's not as young as he used to be. And he worries about you." Zuko nodded and Ursa smiled again. "And get back to that girl of yours. I can see you want to spend time with her." She kissed her son's cheek before letting him go, waving to him and Iroh before they left the greenhouse as Zuko saw a nurse go to help Ursa back to her room.

Zuko felt better as Iroh drove them back home, and his thoughts kept turning to Toph and what they could do that afternoon. Once they turned into their neighborhood, Zuko called Toph.

"Hey Sunshine," Toph said with a smile. "Wanna do something?"

"Yeah, any ideas?" Zuko asked, seeing his uncle smiling.

"Just get me out of this house," Toph stated.

Zuko smiled. "Ok, want to go downtown? Maybe get a smoothie?"

"Sure, you almost home?"

"Pulling into the driveway now."

"Ok, see you in a minute," Toph said and it sounded as if she was getting up.

"See you," Zuko stated and hung up, turning to frown at his uncle who was now grinning. "Anything wrong, Uncle?" Zuko almost growled.

"No, have fun and try not to be so protective this time," Iroh said as he stopped the car and got out, heading into the house.

Zuko sighed, but knew his uncle and mother approved of Toph. But that wouldn't stop Iroh from teasing him about it. The scarred teen turned and saw Toph hurrying out of her house with Sokka's leather jacket on over a tight green shirt and blue jeans. She was frowning, but started smiling when Zuko walked up to her.

"You ok?" he asked her.

"Yeah, my dad still doesn't like you," Toph sighed as they started walking. "But my mom does. She's trying to get me to tell her about you, but I told her the bare minimum. I did tell her about the kiss though."

Zuko nodded, and saw Toph blush. She turned and smiled sweetly up at him. "I've thought about it," she said softly. "And I want to continue what we started."

Zuko thought about when he had kissed her at the party, and felt his cheeks heat up as Toph blushed more. "You sure?" Zuko asked, trying to get rid of the knot in his stomach as well as the surge of elation.

"Yeah," Toph said and blushed more.

Neither could talk for a while and they both blushed whenever they looked at each other, unsure how to move onto the next step. They were interrupted from their awkwardness when Zuko saw Sokka and Suki hurrying towards them on Main Street.

"Toph! Zuko! Man, I'm glad to see you guys here," Sokka said as he stopped in front of them.

"What's wrong Snoozles?" Toph asked, her usual mischievous grin back as she faced Sokka.

"Katara told me about you guys coming to homecoming. Are you guys really going out?" Sokka asked, looking from Toph to Zuko and back again.

Zuko glanced at Toph, unsure how to answer Sokka and Toph looked uncertain as well.

"Sokka, relax," Suki said, elbowing her boyfriend in the ribs gently. "They don't know yet. It's kind of like when we started dating."

"Yeah, ok," Sokka said, looking dejected.

"Actually, we came to get some smoothies," Toph said, looking relieved. "Want to join us?"

"Love to," Suki said with a smile.

The four got the smoothies in silence and Toph took off the jacket she was wearing and handed it to Sokka before they sat at a table. "Here you go, Snoozles. Thanks for letting Sunshine use it on Friday."

"You sure, Toph?" Sokka asked as he took the jacket from her. "You get cold easier than I do."

"It's your jacket and I can practically hear your teeth chattering whenever a breeze comes this way," Toph said with a smirk.

"You're right," Suki said with a giggle. "He does get cold easily. Though he always seems nice and warm to me."

Zuko watched with a small smile as Suki cuddled up to her boyfriend after Sokka pulled his jacket on. The scarred teen glanced at Toph and saw her smiling in a long sleeve shirt. They relaxed more and talked about the party and Hahn getting punched. Sokka told them he had thrown the jerk out into the rain as soon as he could, though Hahn had protested.

"We never invited him. He snuck in by asking Song to the party," Sokka said with a frown.

"Poor Song, I hope she's ok," Toph said and Suki looked on with puzzlement. "Song's so shy and quiet. I know she would be ecstatic if any guy asked her out and Dumbass can be charming when he wants to be."

"Well, maybe we can get Chuck to ask her out," Sokka said with a smile. "I've been talking with him in Calculus and Physics, and it seems he really likes Song, but is too shy to ask her to homecoming."

"Oh, that would be so romantic!" Suki said.

"Will you guys help?" Sokka asked Toph and Zuko.

"Sure, he's a good guy," Zuko said, remembering when the big guy had said he would stand behind Zuko if Jet went after him.

"Great!" Sokka said before he looked at his watch. "Ah, gotta go. We've got a movie to catch."

"See ya Snoozles, Fan Girl!" Toph said with a grin before she turned to Zuko. "So, where were we?"

He noticed her shivering after she took another sip of her smoothie and slipped his jacket off, placing it on her shoulders. "Sokka was right, you get cold easily. You can have mine until we get home."

She smiled and blushed and they talked about their pasts a bit until they finished their drinks. Once done, they started walking towards the beach. Toph had slipped her arms into the sleeves of Zuko's jacket and he thought the black leather looked good on her. They stopped at the railing and watched the sun start to set. He knew she was waiting on him. She had told him she was ok with everything and wanted to go further, but was letting him go at his own pace.

"I know this is going to sound childish," Zuko started hesitantly as they stared out towards the ocean, enjoying the warmth and slight breeze. "But, can I hold your hand?"

He looked over at Toph and saw her blush slightly, but she turned to him and smiled. "Yes," she said softly and held her hand out towards him. He smiled and took her hand in his, feeling better than he did when he had taken her hand in the costume shop. Her hand was so small, but it felt right to hold it. It just fit perfectly in his. He saw and felt her shiver slightly as a gust hit them and pulled her closer to him. Toph seemed surprised but cuddled into his side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. It finally felt right. He had found a town where he could fit in and people who accepted him for who he was. And the girl who had made sure he adjusted and integrated herself into his life had accepted him for who he was and didn't care about his past. She had waited for him and he was happy she had let him in as he had let her in. And now, they were together, finally realizing their feelings for each other.

"So, are we going out?" Toph asked quietly as he held onto her, relaxing as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"I guess we are," Zuko said with a smile. She turned her face towards him and he smiled before he leaned down to kiss her. He was surprised at how much passion was in her kiss and they lost themselves, going further until Zuko realized he had moved her against the railing and was making out with her in public.

"Sorry," he muttered when he stopped, realizing what was happening and where they were. "I usually don't do this."

"I know, you only had one girlfriend before and I haven't had any boyfriends," Toph said with a wry smile.

"Not that," Zuko said with a smile as he leaned his forehead against hers. "Public displays of affection."

"Yeah, you're more the quiet, conservative type," Toph said before she laughed lightly. "But, if you want, we can continue this somewhere more private."

Her voice dropped and got seductive and Zuko felt his hormones starting to gain control. All he wanted to do was kiss her again, but he knew he could control himself. "Yeah, but where?"

"Well, the rocks," she said, but seemed to feel him tense, sensing his uncertainty. "Or we could tone it down for now and watch a movie. My dad was leaving to take care of some business and should be gone."

"That sounds better," Zuko said and watched her smile. He liked that she could read him so well and yet, she never took advantage of it.

They walked back to her house, hand in hand and then just sat on her couch while Toph introduced him to anime. He found he liked the more mature animation and slowly they moved closer to each other until they were cuddling on the couch. Whenever Jasmine came out to check on them, Zuko jumped away from Toph, but as the evening wore on, he did it less and less. He stayed for dinner with Toph and her mom after texting his uncle that he would be staying and when he left for the night, Toph walked him to the door.

"I had a good time today," she said with a blush and shy smile.

"Yeah, me too," Zuko said as he smiled back at her. "I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, though."

"Please," Toph said with a wave of her hand. "They'll know what happened and no one will mess with you. Sweetness called me earlier and I'm sure the whole school knows what an asshole Dumbass is now."

"I guess that's all right, but Jet may still cause trouble," Zuko sighed.

"Then let me deal with him. Since you beat up Hahn, Jet's mine."

"Sounds good," Zuko said with a smile before he leaned closer to Toph. "Goodnight."

He kissed her softly, and pulled away before it became too intense. She smiled and sighed when he pulled away.

"Yah, night, Sunshine," she replied.

He let her go and stepped back, turning to head home. Zuko glanced back once more and saw her sagging against her doorway with a content smile on her face before she got up and headed inside, closing the door behind her. He was glad she had decided to take it further and hurried home to finish the last of his homework.

XXXXX

Zuko was surprised at how smoothly the week went. As he walked to school with Toph on Monday, she had held his hand, and refused to let go when they had gotten closer to the school and he started seeing other people. Word had spread like wildfire about his breaking Hahn's nose and Hahn himself was absent, apparently staying home for the day, but had shown up on Tuesday and avoided Zuko and Toph at all costs. Gossip had spread about them, and it had taken Katara asking if they were officially going out for anyone to know the truth. Toph had just squeezed Zuko's hand at lunch on Monday before she told Katara they were and before the day was over, the whole school knew about it. Jet had almost caused trouble at lunch on Tuesday, trying to get close to Katara again and bad-mouthing Zuko, but Toph had merely stopped Jet before the spiky haired senior got close to their table. After a few whispered words from Toph, Zuko had watched as Jet became deathly pale and then turn to hurry back to his own table.

"What did you say to Jet?" Zuko asked Toph as they walked home from school that day.

"I told him that what you did to him and Hahn was child's play compared to what I would do to him if he made trouble for any of my friends. And that I would do it when he least expected it and no one but us would know exactly what had happened."

Zuko laughed lightly at that and the two became even closer throughout the week. The martial arts club went smoothly and Zuko even agreed to show some moves to Angie and the few who studied Northern Shaolin, although he did it grudgingly and only with a lot of prompting from Toph and Angie. Toph had kept smiling whenever she turned her head to him as she showed a lot of people some Hung Gar moves and he found himself smiling back whenever he spotted her. After the club meeting, he, Sokka, and Toph had pulled Chuck aside and talked to him about asking Song out. Sokka had been working on the big senior for the past couple of days in the classes the two shared and Zuko caught Chuck glancing towards Song who was talking with Jin and Katara.

"Pipsqueak, you better do it now," Toph told him as he hemmed and hawed. "She'll need to get a dress, and it'll be harder the longer you wait."

"You've liked her forever," Sokka said with a smile. "I know you watched her when we were with her in biology when we were sophomores. Now, go ask."

"But…" Chuck started, trying to protest.

"Look, Pipsqueak," Toph said as she frowned up at the big senior and poked him in the stomach, not able to reach his chest. "Sunshine was quiet and he asked me out. He's even taking me to homecoming though he doesn't like dances. Go. Ask."

"Really?" Chuck asked Zuko quietly.

"Yeah," Zuko shrugged and he saw Sokka smile.

"We'll be right behind you, buddy," Sokka told the big senior.

"Ok, ok," Chuck said and took a deep breath before he turned and walked over to Song.

Zuko watched as he talked with the girls, Jin giggling until Katara pulled her away so Song and Chuck could speak privately. Zuko could tell Chuck was nervous, but he knew the big guy had done it when Song's face lit up and she hugged Chuck in excitement. She hurried off to Katara and Jin and Chuck turned back to Zuko, Sokka and Toph, smiling a huge grin.

"She said yes," the big senior sighed.

"Great job, Pipsqueak!" Toph said, punching his arm lightly. "Now, Snoozles and Twinkles can tell you where to get a suit if you need one, but I gotta get going. Hama gave us a ton of work."

Chuck and Sokka had waved goodbye to Toph and Zuko and they walked home to study chemistry together and got most of it done before Toph got bored and started cuddling up to Zuko, distracting him from the work until they had started kissing and making out. Zuko had stopped when he heard her mom come home and they had just teased each other and tried to get the rest of chemistry done, but couldn't. Eventually Zuko had just gone home, since they both needed to get the work done. They talked just about every night on the phone, even after they spent hours together. As Friday and homecoming approached, Zuko started getting a little nervous.

His uncle had taken his suit in to be cleaned, and Toph and Katara had made plans to get ready at Katara's house with Suki. Iroh would then drive Zuko and Aang there and then take part of the group to the dance while Sokka drove the rest. As happy as Zuko was, he was starting to feel a sense of foreboding. As if something was going to come and ruin his happiness. Friday came and school moved smoothly until the end. Toph hugged him goodbye before she hurried with Sokka to the blue-eyed senior's car to meet Katara and Zuko started walking home slowly. He had already bought Toph's corsage, a white rose on a bed of leaves and baby's breath and his uncle was picking it up then. Toph had told him her dress was green, but wouldn't give him any other details, saying he had to wait to be surprised. He was so busy thinking about Toph and that night, he didn't see the girl ahead of him until he almost ran into her.

"Hi Zuko," she said dully.

"Mai?" he asked, surprised as he finally took notice of her. "What are you doing here?"

He started to glance around, but didn't see anyone else. They were only a block away from the school, and it was still visible from where they stood.

"You know, you're uncle should really stop using family names," Mai said in her monotone, though Zuko thought she was looking sad.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Zuko asked her, his temper starting to get the better of him.

She just looked into his eyes, sighed, and he knew she was sad. "I visited Azula two days ago. She said she knew where you were. I did some research and found your school. I came to warn you. Your dad is probably on his way."

Zuko was shocked and merely stared at Mai as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I know we'll never work it out, and I heard you have a new girlfriend now, but I still care for you. I don't want to see you get hurt. Get out of here, Zuko. Please."

Zuko nodded absently, still at a loss for words and Mai smiled slightly and turned to her car, a black Jetta. "I won't bother you anymore," she told him. "Be careful, Zuko."

Zuko nodded again, his fists clenching as he thought over what Mai had told him as he watched her pull away. His sister and therefore his father knew where he was and the madman would probably show up soon to ruin his life again. Once Mai was gone, Zuko started running, taking odd turns and running through backyards and alleys on his way home, making sure no one could follow him. He entered his house through the back door to a surprised Iroh.

"Nephew? Is something wrong?" Iroh asked him.

"I just saw Mai," Zuko stated. "She warned me my father is coming."

He closed the blinds and turned to watch Iroh deep in thought. Iroh looked up to study Zuko and sighed. "I can make a few calls and we can leave tonight. It is your decision, Zuko. I know you like living here and care deeply for Toph. Do you wish to stay, or do you want to move again?"

Zuko thought over everything that had happened to him. No matter where he moved, whether back East, Midwest, or a few hours away from his old home on the West coast, his father always found him. He had finally found a place that he could call home and a girlfriend he cared more for than anyone outside of his family, or at least part of his family. And Toph was waiting for him to go to homecoming. He could run, as he had always done, and continue to run, but for how long? When would his father be caught and brought to justice?

His thoughts turned to Toph. She had run from him and Hahn after the party, but only because she couldn't fight. She always chose to stand up for what she believed in, not letting stupid boys or what others looked at as a weakness to stop her. Zuko's instincts were at war within him. He wanted to run, but he also wanted to fight the man who had ruined his life. He looked up into his uncle's eyes and saw Iroh calm and collected, waiting on Zuko's decision. Iroh had always supported him, no matter what, and would continue to support him. But Iroh had aged in the three years since they had started running and it was starting to show. And Iroh had taught him how to fight smart, not just fight like his father did. Taking a deep breath, Zuko started to smile.

"I'm staying. I'm not going to let him ruin my life any more," he told his uncle.

Iroh nodded and smiled broadly, clasping Zuko on the shoulder. "Very good, Nephew. I need to make a few calls, to alert my friends to the trouble. Get ready, and then I will drive you to your lady."

Zuko nodded and hurried to the shower, glad that he had decided to stay. His adrenaline was still running, telling him to either fight or take flight, but he was firm in his belief that this time, fight was the correct decision.


	13. Homecoming

A/N: Thank you everyone for waiting and to DeepAzulaEyes for being my beta when she's soooo busy. Here's what most of you have been waiting for, so read, enjoy, and don't forget to review! Thanks again for being so patient with me!

Chapter 13

He readjusted the red tie once more, not quite sure it looked good as he looked at himself in the mirror. The black suit was simple and fit him perfectly. He thought it was odd at how the only thing of value his father had given him was the suit he now wore, but it had been his uncle's before it became Ozai's. And Zuko preferred to think of it as Iroh's old suit instead of his father's. He glanced in the mirror again and smiled at how clean he looked. He had pulled his hair back, as he had for the party, but instead of using the family relic, he just pulled his hair into a simple topknot. A couple strands of hair again fell loosely over his scar.

"You look very handsome," Iroh said from the door. Zuko turned to smile at his uncle, and Iroh moved towards him, straightening and tightening the tie. "Several of my friends are chaperoning the dance, so you will be fine tonight. As soon as you're ready to leave, call me. Unfortunately, you won't be able to walk to school any more, but I'm sure you were already aware of that fact."

Zuko nodded and glanced out his window at the darkening sky. A few storm clouds had moved in while he got ready, as they had on several afternoons throughout the week. Most nights it didn't rain, with one exception since the previous Friday. It had rained and thunder and lightning had clashed. Toph had told him it was her least favorite time of year. Because of the change in weather, thunderstorms were common in the afternoon and lasted for a couple of weeks before winter, or as much winter as there could be in the beach town, moved in.

"You'll be fine, Nephew," Iroh said calmly. "Come, it's time to go."

Zuko nodded and moved to the front room. He picked up the corsage for Toph, and followed his uncle to the garage**. **Zuko smiled as he nearly tripped over a box Iroh had moved in making room for the car. He decided he would help clean the garage up more the next day so that they could move around in it easier. Once they were in the car, Iroh pulled out and Zuko glanced around. Seeing no one but a neighbor, he relaxed slightly and waited as patiently as he could during the drive. They picked up Aang and Zuko nodded to the cheerful sophomore when Aang got in, looking a little uncomfortable in a suit and dark orange tie. They quickly pulled up to Sokka and Katara's house and all got out, hurrying to the front door as the wind picked up. Sokka was there, looking nervous and he introduced everyone to his dad, Hakoda.

"It's nice to meet you, Zuko," Hakoda said as he shook Zuko's hand. "Sokka and Katara have told me a lot about you and how you protected Toph. Thank you. She's like another daughter to me."

"Yeah, but Toph got mad that Zuko beat Hahn up before she could," Aang said with a smile.

Hakoda nodded before picking up a few tools. "I'm going to say goodbye to the girls, but I have to go to work. With a storm like this coming in, I'll be working for a while."

"You're a lineman, sir?" Iroh asked him.

"Yep, just remind Katara to get a lot of pictures for me, and I'll see you boys later. It was nice to meet you, Iroh, Zuko. Aang, keep an eye on my daughter, all right?" Hakoda said and Aang nodded humbly before Hakoda started heading upstairs.

Zuko saw Sokka roll his eyes and gesture towards the family room. Iroh stayed in the hall, reading the book he had brought with him as the teens moved to the couch.

"You guys ok?" Sokka asked. "You look nervous."

"Your dad is nice, just a little…intimidating," Aang said before he took a deep breath and smiled.

"Yeah, but don't worry about him, he knows you and he's glad Katara's going with you and not Jet or Hahn. Zuko, you ok?"

"Yeah," Zuko muttered, taking a deep breath to calm down. He wanted to tell Toph about his dad possibly showing up, but not with everyone around. They waited for probably another twenty minutes, Aang and Sokka talking about the dance until they heard giggling coming down the stairs. All three guys instantly were up and hurried to the hall to stop and stare at the girls coming down. Suki was in the lead in a gorgeous cream dress. She had her short hair curled and done up slightly and she blushed when she spotted Sokka in his suit and blue tie. Katara was right behind Suki in a sparkling blue halter-top dress and half of her hair done up into a bun while ringlets fell down around her shoulders and back. But Zuko's breath caught as Toph came into view behind the two taller girls. She was in a deep green dress that hugged every curve of her body, the neckline dipping just enough to hint at things. Zuko thought it was a twenties-style dress and she had an emerald drop hanging from a silver chain around her neck. Her black hair was done up similar to Katara's but more of it was curled and hanging around her shoulders.

Zuko noticed all of the guys had stopped breathing and the girls were smiling and blushing at the reactions they were getting. Toph walked up to him and smiled as she placed her hands on his chest, feeling the suit around his shoulders and chest before her hands moved up to his head and she smiled as she lightly touched his head and felt his hair up except for the few strands he left loose over his scar.

"You feel like you look good," Toph said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, nowhere near how good you look," Zuko said with a smile before he took her hand and slipped the corsage onto her wrist. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand softly. "You're beautiful," he told her.

Toph blushed and tried to hide her face behind her bangs, but they had been pulled to the side and refused to fall. Zuko glanced around and saw Katara and Aang blushing as Aang gave Katara a corsage of a red rose and that Suki and Sokka were kissing while Suki wore a corsage similar to Katara's.

Iroh coughed discreetly and all the teens blushed and turned towards him. Iroh just smiled. "Since there are so many, and the ladies are so elegantly dressed, I suggest Aang go with Sokka and his lovely date while I take the rest. The ladies can sit in the back."

They all nodded and Sokka, Suki, and Aang all hurried to Sokka's camaro while Zuko led Toph to his uncle's car, followed by Katara. Zuko held the door open for Toph before getting in the front as Iroh helped Katara into back on the driver side.

Zuko waited as patiently as he could during the drive to the school as the girls talked behind him, but he wanted to tell Toph about the information he had. He made himself relax for the rest of the drive to school, though he kept glancing out the windows, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. He didn't see anything, and in the midst of a bunch of other people getting out of cars and taking pictures, he opened the door for Toph and hurried them inside with a simple goodbye to his uncle. Katara got held up outside talking with a few people and Zuko found himself alone with Toph for a moment.

You ok?" Toph asked him once they were alone. "You seem more nervous than normal, but I didn't want to bring it up in front of Snoozles and Sweetness."

"Yes and no," Zuko said and glanced around, waiting as a few people hurried by the, before they were left alone in the hallway again. Zuko turned to Toph and saw her looking worried, and he smiled at how beautiful she was. "My ex-girlfriend showed up outside of school," he told Toph and saw her starting to scowl.

"If she thinks she can get you back…" Toph started to growl, but Zuko merely chuckled at Toph's reaction to Mai and shook his head before he turned serious again.

"No, she visited my sister earlier this week, and my sister told her that she knew where I was. Mai came to warn me. My dad is probably getting close."

Toph looked shocked and Zuko thought he saw fear in her eyes before she grabbed his hand, stepping closer to him. "What are you going to do?" Toph asked him, worry in her tone.

Zuko looked at her and knew she would support his decision either way, and he smiled.

"I'm not going to let him ruin my life anymore," Zuko told Toph confidently, though he heard apprehension in his own voice.

Toph smiled and squeezed his hand. "Good, and thanks, for telling me. Are you going to be ok, though?"

"Yeah, I just want to enjoy tonight. And then we can worry about him tomorrow."

Toph smiled and hugged him quickly before they heard Katara, Aang, Sokka and Suki coming their way. Katara stopped them once they were in the hallways and had people take pictures of the group and each couple before they headed to the gym. Zuko was surprised at how nice it looked and how much it had changed since Wednesday. Green and white ribbons, the school colors, hung everywhere and there were balloons. A stage was set up on the far side of the gym and all the mats and punching bags had been removed since the martial arts club had met.

Chuck, Song, Smellerbee and Longshot waved to them when their group entered and Zuko and Toph made their way over to them as the rest of their group got caught up with other people that Zuko didn't really know. Zuko nodded to the guys and commented on Song and Smellerbee's dresses to which both girls blushed. Longshot was in a dark green Chinese shirt with black pants and Smellerbee looked feminine in a light green dress. Song was in a pink dress while Pipsqueak was in a black suit.

"Thanks," Smellerbee said when Zuko said she looked pretty. "I don't ever wear a dress, but my mom made me."

"That's ok, I don't either," Toph said with a smile. "Sweetness found this one and I decided to give it a try."

"You look really pretty, Toph," Song said shyly and Toph blushed and smiled.

"I'd return the compliment, but can't," Toph replied to which Chuck and Smellerbee laughed and Song laughed lightly as well. Zuko and Longshot just smiled. "But I'll have to go on Sunshine's word. If he says you're pretty, you are."

Song blushed more and smiled at Zuko. Soon, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki had joined them and they talked as more people arrived and a small band struck up some music. They found out Jet had refused to come since he didn't have a date and Hahn had as well since no one would go out with him. Everyone slowly made their way out onto the dance floor, and when Toph left with Katara to use the restroom, Zuko moved to the band and requested a swing song.

After two more songs, Toph smiled at him when the swing song started and Zuko pulled her out onto the dance floor. A lot of people stood back from them, either having seen them or heard about their dancing at the party and Zuko smiled as he led her through the fast song. He loved dancing with her. She was perfect and graceful in his arms, and a better dancer than he would ever be. When the song ended, he dipped her and everyone applauded. The band seemed to love the song and dancing so much, they played another swing song, though it was a little slower and other people and several teachers who knew swing joined in.

"When did you learn?" Toph asked him as he led her through a swing-out.

"When I was five, until I was nine," Zuko told her, holding her close through a simple routine. "My mom insisted and I'm glad she did now. You're the best I've ever seen. When did you learn?"

Toph blushed. "From when I was four till I was eleven. I never let my parents know how much I loved it. They wanted me to learn something feminine, and had originally started me in ballet and waltz, but I always snuck into the swing class and loved every minute of it. Eventually my mom let me stay there, but it started interfering with school. So I had to stop."

Zuko nodded and spun her through a few more turns as the song wound down. The band started a slow song and Zuko drew Toph off of the dance floor as most of the people in the gym moved onto it. He nodded to Chuck, Sokka and Aang when they waved at him as they led their dates onto the floor. Zuko had a plan and took Toph to the greenhouse next door to the gym. He had wanted to kiss her since he had seen her in a dress, but not in front of everyone. Mr. Jeong had shown him the greenhouse after they had played basketball during gym earlier that week, and Zuko had thought it would be the perfect spot to have a romantic moment with Toph.

"That was a lot of fun," Toph said when they reached the small greenhouse. "Where are we? I smell roses and hear rain."

"In the greenhouse next to the gym," Zuko told her. He looked around and saw the many flowering bushes kept there and saw the rain falling onto the glass roof and pouring down the windows. It was darker than he thought it would be, but he saw Toph smiling up at him as he ran a finger down her cheek and then her arm to which she shivered slightly.

"This feels so right," he told her in a low voice. "Being here with you. I like you, a lot."

"I know, I like you too," Toph said and turned her face up towards him, leaning into him. Zuko leaned towards her and met her in a passionate kiss. He grabbed onto her, holding her close to him as she ran her hands over his back and shoulders before one moved up to his head, entangling in his hair. He had never felt like this before, wanting to be as close to Toph as he could and yet couldn't get there, even with their bodies pressed against each other. He got one hand caught in her hair and smiled at her when she pulled away, smiling and taking a deep breath.

"Well, well, so this is where you are," a deep, menacing voice said from the shadows. "And with such a delectable little lady, too."

Zuko growled and pushed Toph behind him as he faced the voice. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

"You don't recognize me?" the voice asked. Zuko made out a large figure in the shadows and stared in shock as the man came closer to him. Zuko narrowed his eyes as he recognized the man.

"You don't recognize your own father?" Ozai asked with a cruel smile.


	14. Fight and Flight

A/N: Now, what you've all been waiting for. I hope to have the next chapter up within a few weeks, but I've been hitting a few blocks with the next chapter, including working two jobs. Happy New Year to everyone! And a huge thank you to my beta, DeepAzulaEyes!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

Chapter 14

Zuko scowled at his father walking calmly towards him and Toph. He kept himself between Ozai and Toph and dropped into a fighting stance. His father hadn't changed much, but the little that had changed was dramatic to Zuko's eyes. Ozai had a haunted look on his face. Where his father had once been tall and regal looking, he now looked malnourished and sleep-deprived. His clothes were loose and had several stains and holes, probably since he couldn't buy any because of his fugitive status.

Zuko heard someone move behind him and he felt Toph reach for him, but then her touch was gone and he heard struggling behind him. He wanted to look back, but kept his gaze on his father.

"So this is the little girl who stole your affection, Zuzu," he heard Azula say behind him. Azula cursed and Zuko knew Toph was trying to get away from his sister. "Stupid brat!" Azula hissed.

"Leave her out of this!" Zuko shouted at his father as Ozai smirked at the battle going on between Toph and Azula.

"No, my boy," Ozai said with a sneer. "You and your pathetic mother were supposed to die that night. You ruined my life, and I will make you suffer."

"No, you ruined mine!" Zuko shouted at him and charged forwards and drove his shoulder into Ozai's chest, knocking him back through a window into the rain.

Ozai rolled away from Zuko and they watched each other as the rain poured on them out on the lawn. Zuko saw Toph still struggling with Azula in the greenhouse, but it looked like Toph would win eventually. Knowing she could take care of herself, Zuko focused on his father as Ozai sank into a fighting stance.

"You've had three years to get better," Ozai snarled. "Let's see if you've learned anything."

He jumped towards Zuko and Zuko blocked the kick and punch before trying to punch his father. Ozai blocked and kicked Zuko in the stomach, sending him sliding back. Zuko managed to stay upright and waited for his father to attack again. Ozai jumped towards him, kicking and punching as fast as he could, but Zuko managed to block just about everything. He ducked too low under one kick and Ozai's fist glanced off of his shoulder. Ozai seemed happy about getting the hit on Zuko and tried to punch him again. Zuko saw it coming and caught his father's wrist, kicking his feet into Ozai's stomach as he flipped his father over him, using the move Toph had used on him a while ago.

He rolled away, but kept the hold on his father's arm. Ozai tried to turn and kick out at Zuko and the scarred teen reacted automatically, holding the pinned arm and striking it at the elbow. A sickening crunch sounded and the arm bent the wrong way. Ozai twisted out of the hold and faced Zuko with his right arm limp.

"So you have learned," Ozai snarled. "You're still too weak! Just like my pathetic brother and your mother!"

Ozai jumped towards Zuko, kicking and hitting, but Zuko managed to keep blocking, getting a lucky hit on his father occasionally. But even with a broken arm, Ozai still managed to land more punches on Zuko.

"No, you're weak!" Zuko yelled back as he blocked. "Hitting a woman and child! I was thirteen! It was cruel!"

"It was to teach you respect," Ozai sneered before he was able to land a kick on Zuko's leg, knocking the scarred teen to his knees. Zuko heard sirens approaching and hurried to stand, trying to hit his father with his right hand. Ozai caught his wrist and turned it. Zuko kicked his father's leg, but it didn't faze the man in the slightest and the hold on his wrist became more painful.

"You're going to suffer," Ozai said, his eyes close to Zuko's as Zuko heard and felt his wrist snap. "And then I'll kill you."

Ozai kicked behind Zuko's knee and when Zuko fell, his father let him go and disappeared. Suddenly five cops surrounded Zuko, guns pointed towards him as he cradled his broken wrist in the rain.

"Freeze!" They yelled until another voice sounded.

"Stand down, it's not him," a man said, almost disappointed. Zuko watched the cop approach him and help him up, leading him back into the greenhouse where Zuko saw Toph looking smug next to Mr. Pakku and Mr. Jeong while Azula laid hog-tied and gagged next to them. The teachers looked concerned, but both seemed to recognize the police captain and seemed more at ease when he entered the greenhouse.

"Captain Piandoa, what a surprise," Mr. Jeong said a little dryly, but with a small smile as Toph ran to Zuko and hugged him tightly. Zuko groaned as she pressed on a few new bruises, but he smiled at her before he turned to study the captain. The man was tall and middle aged, and held himself with pride. Zuko watched as the captain nodded to the teachers and then called a pair of officers in, having them escort Azula to a car before Piandoa turned to Zuko, studying the scarred teen with brown eyes that seemed wise beyond the man's apparent years.

"I'm a friend of your uncle's and know about your family's…history. Mind telling me what happened?" the captain asked Zuko.

Zuko frowned, but was about to nod when the principal rushed into the greenhouse and Zuko could see several students behind him. "What is the meaning of this?!" Principal Feng asked before his gaze fell on Zuko looking very wet, muddy, and beaten. "Zuko, another fight?!"

"It's not what you think, Principal Feng," the captain started. "Pakku, why don't you fill the principal in and get the rest of the students away. Jeong, do you have an umbrella? Wouldn't want to ruin the lovely dress of this lovely lady."

Mr. Jeong nodded and produced an umbrella and he and the captain escorted Toph and Zuko to an ambulance on the front steps of the school. Zuko glanced around as they walked and made out five police cars, one of which held his sister. That one was surrounded by three officers while others moved around as the rain started to slacken. A paramedic started treating Zuko, dabbing at a few wounds he didn't realize he had and starting on his wrist as Toph stood next to him. Mr. Jeong and Captain Piandoa waited patiently until the paramedic left to get more bandages before they started questioning Zuko.

"Your uncle and parents have already been called, but we need to know what happened," the captain said to the pair.

Zuko nodded and smiled at Toph when she squeezed his good hand. "We had fun dancing, but I wanted a…private moment with Toph and took her to the greenhouse." He saw the two men look at each other with a knowing smile and scowled. "I just kissed her. A man came out of the shadows and said he had finally found me. I pushed Toph behind me and asked him who he was. When he came into the light, I recognized my father. I heard someone grab Toph, but couldn't look towards her."

"Why not?" the captain asked when Zuko paused for a moment.

"Because if I took my eyes off of Ozai for a second, he'd kill me. I rushed him and we went through the window. I knew that if I could hold him off for a little, I'd be ok and maybe he'd be caught. While we were fighting, I broke his right arm. When we heard the sirens, he grabbed my wrist, breaking it, and then disappeared."

"Did he say anything?" Captain Piandoa asked. "Like what he'll do next, or where he'll go?"

"Yeah," Zuko muttered darkly and turned to look at Toph. She was so calm next to him, waiting for him to go on. "He'll make me suffer and then he'll kill me."

Toph just scooted closer to him and he leaned into her, finding comfort in her after facing his father and the pain the man had caused him. The captain and teacher withdrew to talk in private as the paramedic came back and started wrapping Zuko's wrist. She had just about finished when Zuko heard Toph's parents asking where she was. They came into view the same time Iroh did and Iroh rushed forward to hug his nephew while Jasmine hugged her daughter.

"Oh, my dear, I was so scared when I heard," Jasmine said as she clung to her daughter.

Zuko almost smiled as Toph rolled her eyes, but then he saw Lao's expression. Lao was glaring at Zuko, breathing heavily and his face was getting red underneath his umbrella.

"Toph, we're going home," Lao stated. "I don't want you associating with _him_ again."

"It wasn't his fault," Toph said, breaking free of her mom's hug. Iroh was about to speak up, but Lao was facing his daughter.

"I told you he was dangerous! And now, his crazy family attacked you! I'm taking you out of school and back home where you'll be safe!"

"No, Dad!" Toph said while standing and facing her father in the shelter of the ambulance. "It wasn't his fault! He didn't ask for it, and I'm not a frail little girl!"

"Yes, you are," Lao said, grabbing her hand. "You're blind, and frail and weak. I'm taking you home so that this will never happen again. You are not allowed to see him any more!"

Lao started dragging Toph to his car and Zuko and Iroh were about to protest, but Toph broke free of her father's grip and started running into the rain.

"Toph! Come back here!" Lao shouted, but she was already gone. He turned to Zuko and scowled at the scarred teen. "This is all your fault! I always knew something like this would happen!"

"No, you pushed her away!" Zuko yelled back at him, his temper controlling him after all he had witnessed. "She's amazing and strong, but you don't see that. You just see a blind little girl."

Zuko grabbed his coat and started stalking off. His uncle called to him and the captain did as well, telling him to stop, asking where he was going.

"I'm going to find her," Zuko yelled back before he started running in the same direction Toph had run. As he ran, his temper cooled and he realized how stupid he was for going off alone. He looked around, but didn't see anyone. The rain was much lighter than it had been during the party, so Zuko thought Toph might have gone farther. He thought about where she would run to and instantly knew. Pulling out his phone, he prayed it would work while still wet, and thankfully it did.

"Zuko!" Sokka said when he answered his phone. "You ok? What's going on? Where are you?"

"Sokka, I need a ride. I'm a block down from the school and I need you to take me to the beach," Zuko said firmly.

"Ok, but what's going on?" Sokka asked.

"It's complicated," Zuko sighed, continuing to glance around. "Just get here."

"On my way," Sokka said and hung up.

Thankfully, it only took five minutes until Sokka's old camaro pulled up. Zuko got in and saw Sokka studying him.

"Take me to the beach where the rocks are," Zuko told him and looked out the window.

"What happened?" Sokka asked quietly as he drove.

Zuko sighed. He knew this would come up. He continued to look out the window, looking for Toph as Sokka drove.

"My dad's trying to kill me," Zuko told him. "And nearly succeeded tonight. Toph had a fight with her dad and ran off."

He saw Sokka nod slightly out of the corner of his eye before they pulled into the parking lot at the beach. They both got out, calling for Toph as they made their way to the rocks. The beach was dark and cool, a strong breeze blowing cold air in from the ocean, but it was only a light rain coming down. Occasionally the clouds thinned and some moonlight was shed onto the beach, but most of the light came from the lights back at the parking lot and on the street about a hundred feet away. Once at the rocks, Zuko climbed up a little into the cave, still calling.

"Toph? You there?"

"Zuko?" he heard her ask faintly.

XXXXX

Toph ran as fast as she could. She had to get away from her dad before he saw her cry. Before he made her a prisoner in her own home again. Everything had been going great. The week had been the best she ever had, minus the one thunderstorm, but even that had been okay. Zuko had been with her as they studied history and did some chemistry homework, and had stayed next to her whenever thunder had sounded outside of the house. As the night wore on, he even let her know when he saw lightning flash so that she was prepared for the thunder. And then homecoming was perfect. Even with the knowledge that his dad could show up soon, they had enjoyed the evening, dancing, talking with friends, and then he had taken her to the greenhouse and kissed her. It was the best kiss she had ever received and she wished it could go on forever. And then that man had ruined it, ruined their night.

She had stayed close to Zuko, knowing she could back him up and almost didn't hear the girl coming from behind until the girl grabbed her. Toph had reached out for Zuko as he faced the man, but was pulled away from him and had instantly elbowed the girl in the gut, causing the little twit to curse. If the man was Zuko's father, Toph could only assume the girl was his sister, Azula. She even moved like Zuko did, fluid and graceful, though there was more of an edge to her movements. A predator's edge as she moved gracefully and skillfully as she and Toph tried to get a hold on each other. Toph had almost not gotten out of a hold when she heard Zuko and his dad crash through a window, but knew she needed to focus on her own opponent. After what seemed like an eternity of trying to just get a good grip on the girl, Toph finally got her into an arm lock and felt some rope at her feet. She pinned Zuko's sister and reached down quickly, bringing the rope to her hands without letting Azula free and had bound her and then stuffed a rag she had found while they scuffled into Azula's mouth when the girl started to curse at her.

Just as Toph had finished tying the strange girl up, Mr. Jeong and Mr. Pakku hurried into the room, the gym teacher on the phone with the cops, describing Zuko and his dad fighting. Toph turned her attention outside, but could only hear the rain and occasional bump as if someone had hit the ground. She thought she heard voices occasionally and knew she had heard Zuko shouting something at his dad earlier, but the voices were muffled with the rain pouring down. Toph almost became ill as she heard what sounded like Zuko yelling in pain and then a bunch of cops yelling, "Freeze!" She didn't know what had happened, but as soon as she heard Zuko's footsteps coming back into the greenhouse, she had run to him, glad he was ok.

She knew by the way he was moving that something had happened to his right arm or hand, and quietly followed him and the cop out to the ambulance, just being there for Zuko as a paramedic worked on him and then the cop questioned him. She was surprised at how forthcoming he was to the cop, but the guy had said he knew Iroh and knew about Zuko's family. And then, her dad had come. Toph was so angry at her father. She thought about it as she continued to run away from him. She was angry at him for not trusting her, not believing she was strong enough, not trusting Zuko. And especially for thinking she was still a blind, frail little girl. She felt hot tears streaming down her face as she ran, mingling with the cool rain that continued to fall on her. She lost her shoes when she reached sand, and stopped, surprised at how far she had run. Toph immediately listened and heard the waves pounding on rocks. The rain was lighter than when she had run the previous week after the Halloween party, and she could almost see the vibrations of the rain falling off of the rocks where her cave was. Running to the rocks, she held out her hands as she neared them and felt along the rocks until she found the way up to her cave.

Once inside, she went to the back shelf and curled up into a ball, crying her eyes out. Toph wasn't a crier, as she knew a lot of girls were, Katara included. But sometimes, even the toughest girls cry, and the cave was the one place she felt secure enough to let her emotions out. She was just starting to breathe normally again, though tears still streamed down her face, when she heard Zuko calling for her. His voice became stronger and then echoed through the rocks as if he was calling in.

"Toph? You there?"

She sniffed and called back. "Zuko?"

She heard him start to come up the rocks and call back to someone else. "Found her!"

Surprisingly, Sokka answered. "Ok, um, I'll be in the car whenever you two are ready to go back."

Zuko muttered thanks and then was climbing up into the cave. When Toph heard him stand up fully, she ran to him, glad he was safe, glad he was there and just hugged him as she continued to cry. She didn't want to cry, it was childish and weak, but she couldn't help herself. She didn't know how long she held him, crying into his chest as he hugged her back and stroked her hair, whispering that it was ok. She started regaining control of herself when he said something that made her stop in shock.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as they held onto each other. "I never meant for any of this to happen."

She stiffened and stepped back. Toph heard the sorrow and regret in his tone, and wondered what would happen next.

"Meant for what not to happen?" she asked. She tried to keep her voice even, but heard her anger in it. She wasn't sure what he was regretting. Did he regret making the decision to tell her about himself? Taking her to homecoming? Kissing her?

"Meant for my dad to ruin everything," he sighed and she relaxed and hugged him again.

"It's not your fault," Toph said into his chest. They were silent for a while as they hung onto each other again. Toph finally sighed. "I'm going to be under house arrest now."

"I'm sure my uncle is working things out," Zuko said, though he sounded a little unsure. Toph nodded. Maybe Iroh could help with her dad, but her old man was as stubborn as she was, if not worse. "At least your dad cares for you. Mine's just trying to kill me."

Toph laughed lightly and drew back from him. He did have a point there. Her father was just trying to protect her from men like Zuko's father. But she wasn't one to be held back and coddled. Her thoughts turned to Zuko's decision to stay and her running away at the party and that night.

"This is pretty funny," she said with a smirk. "You're the one who's been running from him, but when we're confronted by opposition, I'm the one that ends up running. And in the rain, too! How did that happen?"

Zuko chuckled and pulled her close to him again. "I don't know. You're the reason I'm not running from him, although maybe I was wrong."

She tensed as guilt and regret entered his tone again, but continued to hold onto him. Toph knew she had to get her point across to him. "You are not wrong for wanting to stand up to him," she stated. "Not then, not now, and not ever!"

She felt Zuko nod in agreement, though he stayed silent. He seemed to be thinking about something for a while before he spoke. "Your parents are probably worried. We should get going," Zuko told Toph.

She nodded, but didn't want to agree. She was surprised the whole police force wasn't searching for her along with Zuko if his dad was half as bad as Zuko thought he was. She smiled slightly and decided to tease Zuko a bit. "Yeah, hope they haven't sent out the marines for me yet."

Zuko chuckled lightly and nodded, moving towards the cave entrance. He helped her down since she had to hold her long dress with one hand so she wouldn't trip over it and then they walked towards the parking lot.

"You brought Sokka?" she asked him as they walked, his coat covering her head as it continued to sprinkle on them.

"Yeah, I ran off after you, and then realized how stupid it was for me to be alone," Zuko sighed. "I didn't want to call my uncle; he'd bring half the police force."

Toph giggled and Zuko opened up the car door for her, sliding in next to her in the back of the car. Once they were both in, she heard Sokka turn back to them.

"You guys ok?" Sokka asked.

Toph just nodded and smiled faintly at her friend. Sokka turned to Zuko. "What's going on?" the blue-eyed teen asked him.

Toph turned her face to Zuko, questioning him with her expression. Had he told Sokka anything? Was he ok? Zuko just turned to her and then turned to Sokka.

"Just what I told you," Zuko stated. "My dad's trying to kill me and Toph and her dad got into a fight because of her being with me."

It sounded like Sokka opened his mouth to object or ask more, and Zuko just frowned, speaking up before the blue-eyed senior could. "Sokka, I can't tell you any more. It's already dangerous for you to know that much."

"Ok then," Sokka sighed. "Where to? I don't think either of you want to go back to the dance looking like that."

She heard Zuko reach into his pocket and pull out his cell. And then he was pushing numbers as if texting someone.

"To Toph's house, my uncle's there," Zuko said. Sokka nodded and started up his car, shifting it into gear. "Thanks, Sokka," Zuko said and Toph smiled as she heard Sokka relax as he started driving. Toph heard Zuko start fidgeting as if he were getting nervous during the short drive and reached out, laying her hand on his. She was nervous about facing her parents again after her fight and then her flight, but with Zuko at her side, maybe it would be ok. Sokka soon stopped the car and Zuko got out, holding the door open for Toph. She smiled at him as she got out.

"Ok, let me know if you guys need anything," Sokka said before Zuko closed the door.

"Thanks Sokka," Toph said with a warm smile after she got out. "I'll call Katara later to let her know I'm ok. I'm sure she's worrying like a mother hen who's lost her chicks right now."

Sokka chuckled. "Yeah, but she'll be fine. See ya Toph, Zuko. Hope the parentals aren't too harsh on you."

"Thanks Sokka," Zuko said, shutting the door behind Toph. They waited until Sokka pulled away and Toph turned to Zuko, smiling a little uneasily under his coat. She was sure Zuko was smiling back, but she knew that both of them were nervous. They could face crazy jerks, killer fathers and insane sisters without batting an eye, but facing her parents? That was scary. They both stayed in the same spot for a while and Toph sighed, holding out her hand to Zuko.

"We better not keep them waiting," Toph stated.

Zuko nodded and took her hand. They walked slowly to the door and Toph took a deep breath before opening her door and they heard Zuko's uncle talking in a calming tone.

"Help is arriving tonight, and more will arrive tomorrow," Iroh was saying. "I understand your concern, but we can not let this stop our lives."

"Stop our lives?!" Lao asked in anger. "Your nephew coming into my daughter's life stopped our lives."

"Lao, please," Jasmine said in a gentle tone. "We've been over this before. My cousin is coming and you know she'll watch over Toph."

"What's going on?" Toph asked when she and Zuko entered the living room. She heard everyone turn toward them, including Fong who had been silent. Immediately, Jasmine was up and Toph let her mother hug her, but she heard her dad breathing heavily in anger.

"Toph, go to your room. We'll discuss this in the morning," Lao stated.

"No," Toph said as her mother stepped away from her, sounding as if she didn't know who to go to. "We'll discuss it now."

Zuko seemed to tense, and she tightened her hold on his hand, making sure he stayed with her.

"That is ideal," Iroh said calmly to Lao before he turned to Toph and Zuko. "Toph, your cousin is an old friend of mine and works for the FBI. She's on her way now and will be watching out for you. Some more of my friends and her people will be in the areas you go to, making sure you are safe. Neither of you will be able to walk to school any longer and, unfortunately, your movements outside of school will be restricted. Either Fong or I will drive you two wherever you need to go, or your cousin when she arrives. Zuko, we need to head home and discuss what needs to happen next."

It sounded as if Iroh was frowning and Zuko tensed before he nodded. He squeezed Toph's hand and she sighed, knowing that his uncle was right. They had to deal with their own issues, and Toph would have an easier time dealing with her parents without him there. He let Toph's hand go, but she held on and turned to him, hugging him tightly for a second.

"Just call me if you need to talk later," she whispered to him and felt him nod slightly. She let him go slowly and turned her back to her father to 'watch' Zuko and his uncle leave. Once the front door closed again, Toph turned back to her parents.

"Toph, we'll discuss this more tomorrow," Lao stated.

"No," Toph told him, frowning. "Is Aunt Jun really coming?"

"Yes, she is," Lao said, the frown more evident in his tone. "I don't want you seeing that boy again outside of school. He's dangerous and his family is dangerous. I knew it from the first moment I saw him."

"He's not the problem! His crazy dad is, and I'm glad he's not running anymore!" Toph cried, feeling tears trying to come to her eyes again.

"He should have left!" Lao said, standing. "He could have left you and our family alone!"

"You don't understand him or me!" Toph shouted back.

"Lao, Toph!" Jasmine said sharply. "Stop that this instant!"

Both father and daughter stopped and stared at Jasmine. The times were rare that Jasmine raised her voice, but when she did, everyone took notice.

"Toph, Jun is coming and we'll talk more about where you can and can't go when she arrives. Lao, this is not the time to argue about this. What's done is done and you should be proud of our daughter for standing up for what she believes in and capturing the crazy girl," Jasmine said sternly. "Now, everyone to bed. It's been a long night for everyone and sleep will make everything clearer."

"Yes ma'am," both Toph and Lao muttered and hurried to their rooms. Once Toph was in her room, she changed out of her wet, ruined dress and quickly put on some pj's. She hoped Zuko was doing ok. She placed her phone next to her bed and curled up in her blankets, wondering if Zuko would call her later.

XXXXX

Zuko followed his uncle back to their house and saw a pair of cars parked in front and recognized them from the several times Iroh had had his Pai Sho friends over. Zuko hoped Toph would be ok, and that her dad wouldn't be too harsh on her. He knew it was his fault, even though Toph had said it wasn't. He was the one who had let her in, had told her about himself and had taken her away from the safety of the gym and kissed her in front of his father. True, he hadn't known his father was there, and hadn't figured Ozai could be that close to him yet, but now Ozai knew Toph and would go after her.

_You're going to suffer, and then I'll kill you_, Ozai had told him and Zuko knew those words were the truth. There were three important people in Zuko's life, and two of them were less than a hundred yards from him. He continued to follow his uncle into the house and stopped in surprise when three of his teachers and the police captain stood and started looking relieved when they spotted him.

"Sit, Zuko," Iroh said in a tired voice, gesturing to the small couch in the family room. Zuko did and Dr. Yugoda moved next to him with a medical bag, checking over his injuries and examining his wrist.

"They did a good job, but it loosened," she said, starting to unwrap the bandage and splint around his wrist while Zuko watched his uncle sit in an old recliner while Mr. Jeong and Mr. Pakku remained standing and the police captain locked the front door.

"That was a foolish thing to do," Pakku said to Zuko and the scarred teen frowned at him.

"Don't you think I know that?" Zuko asked with a scowl.

"Pakku, calm yourself," Jeong stated, his slight accent becoming more pronounced. "He did it for a good reason, and I'm sure he'll tell us why."

Mr. Jeong turned to Zuko, calm on the gym teacher's face as he and Zuko studied each other and Zuko nodded.

"Toph ran out of the party last week because I beat up Hahn before she could," Zuko started and saw Piandoa questioning Jeong and Pakku and Jeong smiled at the captain, saying he would explain later. Yugoda continued to wrap Zuko's wrist, but was listening in as he continued. "She stopped a block away, and later told me she gets disoriented in the rain. I was worried and angry and took off after her. I called Sokka a block away when I realized I shouldn't be out alone and he drove me to where I found her."

"And where was that?" Piandoa asked gently.

"A special spot for her at the beach," Zuko stated. He noticed Piandoa frown slightly when he didn't give any more information, but the captain nodded as Yugoda finished wrapping Zuko's wrist and started applying some band-aids to some of the cuts on his face.

"We talked and Sokka drove us back," Zuko concluded. Pakku and Piandoa were both about to speak up again, their faces showing frowns and Zuko figured he was about to be chewed out again, so he spoke up first. "Look, I know it was stupid for me to go off alone after Toph, knowing my father was out there, but I couldn't let her go off alone either. He'll go after her because he knows she means something to me."

"My nephew is correct," Iroh said, speaking for the first time since he had sat down. Zuko knew his uncle had been watching him the entire time. "Zuko, your mother is secure and the FBI will be moving her to a more secure location tomorrow. It is still your choice, do we move or do we stay?"

"I'm not running from him anymore," Zuko stated.

"But he could hurt others," Jeong said.

"Yeah, and how many more will he hurt in how many towns I move to until he's caught?" Zuko asked his teacher. "I'm tired of running. He'll come after me and then he'll be caught."

"There, you're done," Yugoda said as she placed a final butterfly band-aid onto Zuko's temple. "Get into a doctor tomorrow and get a cast on that wrist. You'll have it for six weeks, but it will heal to normal, though you'll be a little slow at everyday things for a bit. And no hitting anything with that hand, Zuko," Dr. Yugoda said sternly, her blue eyes narrowing dangerously at him as she gave him a hard expression. "That means stupid boys, punching bags, and fathers."

"Why did you even fight him in the first place?" Pakku asked Zuko when he nodded grudgingly to the doctor's orders.

"To get him away from Toph," Zuko said. "To hold him off, to stay alive."

"You could have talked to him," Piandoa argued.

"No, it wouldn't have worked with my brother," Iroh said with a sigh. "He knows all the tricks being a former FBI agent and negotiator. And Zuko is not the most elegant at word play."

Zuko frowned, but nodded, knowing his uncle spoke the truth. English and especially speaking had never been a strong point for him, but he could get by. It was another thing his father excelled at that he didn't, but at least his martial arts had gotten good enough so that he was almost even with Ozai.

"Zuko, it's been a long night," Iroh said. "Go on and get some rest and we'll talk more in the morning."

Zuko nodded and went to his room, changing out of the wet suit and thinking about that night. So much had happened and changed. He cared for Toph more than he ever had, but he was worried about her. He thought that if he called it off, and kept their relationship on a lower level, his father would leave her alone. But he didn't believe it for a second and Toph would never let him. She would be hurt, though she would refuse to show it if he broke up with her after everything that had happened, and hurting Toph was the last thing Zuko wanted to do. He sighed and fell onto his bed, ignoring the aches in his wrist and all over his body as exhaustion caught up with him and forced him to sleep.


	15. Jun

A/N: A huge thank you to everyone for being so patient with me. I did get a job (Yay!) at a doggie day-care and am currently looking for a second job. My husband is still out of work, but because he's union, he should have a job within a month or 2. And we're moving back to our hometown in a month. So, lots of stuff happening. Oh, also, my friend, Joel, won Extreme Home Makeover for his home and big cat rescue called Forever Wild. The episode will air in April, supposed to be episode 20. Lots of good things happening and hope you all are well

A huge, huge thanks to my wonderful betas, DeepAzulaEyes and AStormisBrewing, for all their help and getting the chapter back to me through their finals. Thank you soooo much! So, here's the next one, and I'll try and have the next one up sooner. Read, enjoy, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

Chapter 15

Toph woke to the warmth of sunlight on her face and she heard voices from the family room. Waking up more, she distinguished two female voices. Smiling, she jumped out of bed and ran to the family room, tackling the voice that was not her mother.

"Ooof, you've grown," Jun said before a smile entered her tone. "Though not so much that I can't call you Squirt."

"Hi, Aunt Jun," Toph said as Jun hugged her.

"Jun, I'll leave you two to discuss things," Jasmine said with a smile and gentle tone. "Toph, your father is gone all day, but we expect to see you for dinner. And mind your cousin."

"I will," Toph replied and both she and Jun waited until they heard the garage door close behind Jasmine.

"Ok, she's gone," Jun said with a wry tone. "Now, tell me about this boy."

Toph grinned. "First, why are you here? I knew you worked for the FBI, but never thought you'd get into the protection part of it. You were always a hunter, not a protector."

Toph heard Jun's breathing change and a frown was in her tone when she spoke. "I am, and I'm hunting Ozai as well as protecting you. Let's just say I have a grudge against your boyfriend's old man and his uncle is one of the best guys I've ever worked with. I owe Iroh a few favors, and I'm getting payback."

Toph started to ask for more information, but Jun beat her to it. "And you're not getting anything else out of me until I hear every detail about this guy. So, is he cute?"

Toph pouted, but then smiled. "You'll have to tell me, but I think he is."

Jun laughed and they talked, Toph telling Jun about how she had come to know Zuko and started liking him. She didn't want to tell Jun what Zuko had told her about his past, but Jun seemed to pick up on it and said she knew it.

"I read the report," Jun said with a frown and a touch of sadness, which Toph found surprising. "I knew Ursa quite well, and was saddened that so much had gone on for so long without anyone knowing. I even got one of the few copies of Zuko's testimony. You don't have to tell me what he told you. It's personal. Go on, I want to hear about your next kiss."

Toph scowled at Jun when her cousin's tone got smug, but continued. Once she finished with the events of the previous night, she stopped and studied Jun. Jun was her favorite family member. Jasmine's youngest cousin since both of Toph's parents were only children. But since Jun was close to Jasmine in age and they got along as sisters did, Toph just called Jun, 'Aunt'. Jun could beat people up, did things her own way, was independent, and made sure Toph knew how to take care of herself. Toph loved it. Jun was like the big sister she never had and Toph knew she could tell Jun anything. But Jun was now hiding something from her.

"This cave of yours, it's to the north of here, where the rocks start. Right?" Jun asked and Toph nodded. "I found it when I was your age," Jun said with a smile and Toph relaxed slightly.

"What do you have against Ozai?" Toph asked.

Jun's breathing changed again, but then she sighed. "Can't hind anything from you, can I, Squirt?"

Jun ruffled Toph's bangs, and Toph pushed the hand away with a smile. "Nope. Not many can."

"You might want to think about joining the FBI when you're older," Jun said with pride before her tone became serious. "I used to work with Ozai. I'd hunt em down, maybe capture the bad guys, and then he would interrogate and get their testimonies. And he was damn good, too." Toph was shocked to hear that Zuko's father had worked for the FBI, but continued to pay attention to Jun. "I never liked him, he always rubbed me the wrong way. Now I know it was for a good reason. He was a great agent, but he was too much of a perfectionist. He never liked his brother, who had a wonderful career in the army. I asked Iroh about it once, and apparently their father favored Iroh and his career choice while shunning Ozai. Looks like the sins of the father passed to the son. Iroh called me, and I got clearance to head down here and protect you from Ozai while my men search for him. Since he'll probably go after you and your boyfriend again, we'll be waiting. That means I go everywhere you go, so no sneaking off from me."

"I wouldn't sneak away from you," Toph told Jun with a wry smile. "Does Zuko know all this?"

"Want to find out?" Jun asked with a grin in her tone and Toph nodded eagerly. She hurried to the shower and got ready for the day. Soon they were walking across the street to Zuko's house.

XXXXX

Zuko continued to do forms and routines in the family room as he heard a knock sound on the door. People had come and gone all morning, so he didn't pay much attention to it. He had spent most of the morning straightening up the garage after the visit to the doctor so that they could move around in it more freely. Then he had moved on to help his uncle to clean up the house and prepare a bag in case they needed to leave at a moments notice before practicing in the house since the garage was now full. He heard Iroh go to the door and thought it was another of his uncle's friends until he saw Toph out of the corner of his eye.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi back, what are you doing here?" Zuko asked. "I thought your dad wouldn't let you near me again."

"My aunt wanted to check out the place," Toph said as a tall woman with dark hair and pale skin appeared behind her. Zuko studied the woman. He could definitely see the resemblance between her and Toph, though the woman was tall and lean and had several tattoos on her shoulders and arms as she wore a black tank top and black jeans. Her dark eyes traveled up and down Zuko and Zuko frowned at her.

"He is cute, but he frowns a lot. You sure you picked the right nickname for him, Squirt?"

"Absolutely," Toph said with a grin.

"I'll be talking with Iroh, so no funny stuff," the woman said as a smile tugged at her mouth. With that, she turned and left, her long black hair flying over her shoulder. Zuko sighed and glanced at Toph. She seemed to be studying him.

"Never thought your dad would let you out again," Zuko said as he walked over to grab a drink of water.

"He doesn't know," Toph said and when Zuko glanced back at her, he saw a smug look on her face before she sauntered up to him. He set the water down as Toph continued to smile up at him and he bent down to land a kiss on her lips. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Zuko thought it was a very nice continuation of where they had been interrupted the night before until they heard chairs moving and teacups clattering onto the table in the kitchen.

Toph pulled back and gave him a wry smile. "Guess we shouldn't get too carried away," she said and Zuko nodded.

"Yeah," Zuko sighed before he looked back at the family room. He had moved the couches and chairs out of the way so he could practice. Glancing back at Toph, he thought about what she had said earlier. "I though it was your cousin coming, not your aunt."

Toph grinned and moved to sit on the couch. "She is my cousin, actually my mom's cousin. But they're the same age, so I've always just called her Aunt Jun. My dad doesn't like her, she's part of the family that's crazy."

"Not as crazy as my family," Zuko sighed as he sank into a stance and started the forms his uncle had taught him that morning.

"Maybe not," Toph said, settling on the couch. "But crazy in a different way. Jun works for the FBI, and says she knew your old man." Zuko paused for a moment, startled, before he continued practicing. Toph must have heard it, because a smile was more evident in her tone when she continued. "Jun's always been a hunter, and takes down the bad guys, and said your dad used to interrogate them. She never liked him, but liked your uncle."

"Yeah, and Uncle's going to be flirting non-stop," Zuko muttered under his breath.

Toph just laughed lightly, obviously hearing Zuko and he smiled, relaxing more as he tried to pull off a difficult kick.

"Well, Jun's always been independent and stood up for herself. Her favorite family members have always been me and my great uncle, the craziest member of the family. Bumi Omashu."

Zuko stopped after landing and turned to stare at Toph. "The governor is your uncle?" he asked quietly.

"Yep, he's the oldest brother to my mom's mom, and Jun's mom too," Toph said with a grin. "Everyone calls him crazy, and he is, sometimes. But he's good at reading people and always makes things fair. He stands up for the people, unlike a lot of politicians."

"Yeah, my grandfather being one of them," Zuko sighed as he started the routine again. He saw Toph questioning him with her expression when he turned to do a jab and knew he had to explain. "My uncle's father was a senator, and I think my father wanted to follow his footsteps, but they never cared about the people, just the rich people and the people who would pay anything to get stuff done."

"Yeah, Uncle Bumi's not like that," Toph said. "What are you planning to do today, anyways?"

"Stay inside and get better," Zuko answered.

"Ah, that's no fun," Toph whined. "Let's go see a movie. _Mr. and Mrs. Smith_ is playing at the dollar theatre."

Zuko stopped again and looked at Toph. She seemed serious. "You know my father is just waiting to get one of us out in the open. We shouldn't go anywhere."

"Jun and Iroh will be there," Toph said with a small frown. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Not when my father's in the same town," Zuko replied, frowning more.

Toph seemed to be thinking before a sly smile started tugging at the corner of her mouth. "How about a spar? I win, we go. You win, we stay here and you think of something to do."

Zuko stopped and thought about it. He and Toph were at about the same level, though it was hard to say who was better. Their styles were different, and though Toph had pinned him once, he had almost pinned her in the gym.

"Only if it's approved by Uncle as well," Zuko said. He hoped he could win, but the thought of going out with Toph sounded appealing as well, even if it would be chaperoned.

Toph smiled and moved to the center of the family room, sinking into a horse stance and facing Zuko.

"Anytime you're ready, Sunshine," she said with a smirk and Zuko smiled slightly.

He punched in with his left hand, and Toph blocked it. She turned and kicked towards his head, and he leaned back to avoid it. She looked a little shocked that he hadn't blocked it and he pressed his advantage, kicking low to try and take her feet out from under her. Toph stepped back and then forward, jabbing in towards Zuko's right side. He almost brought his right hand to block, but felt the cast and quickly grabbed her hand with his left, twisting it so that Toph would have to turn her back to him.

"Sneaky, sneaky," she said as she turned, but continued the revolution so that she was facing him again and grabbed his left arm with her other hand and then leaned backwards, trying to pull him down with her weight.

Zuko knew he was heavier than she was, but she was strong and was pulling him down. He kicked out and tripped her, causing her to fall onto her back and Zuko almost fell on top of her. He leaned to the side as he fell and Toph must have felt it, because she rolled so that she was on top of him when he landed, with his arm in a lock.

"I win," she said breathlessly as she smiled down at him. Zuko was caught by how beautiful she was, her face flushed and her hair coming loose and falling in a small curtain around her face.

"Yeah, you win," Zuko said and reached up with his right arm, pulling her down so that he could kiss her. His cast almost got caught in her hair, but she simply smiled and leaned down the rest of the way. He had just started to kiss her when a cough sounded from the entryway. Toph instantly sat up and was off of Zuko and Zuko saw her cheeks turning pink as Jun stared down at them with her arms crossed over her chest and she was tapping her foot. Zuko noticed she had a small smile tugging at her mouth as Toph held a hand out to Zuko. The scarred teen took it and used Toph to pull himself upright.

"You let her win," Jun stated.

"No, I'm injured. We're usually even," Zuko said, holding up his right arm to show Jun the cast.

"Believe whatever you want," Jun said with a shrug before she turned towards the kitchen. "Toph won, so they want to go to the dollar theatre. Up for a trip, Iroh?"

"Always, my dear," Iroh said in a flirty voice and Zuko groaned discreetly.

He watched as Jun nodded and pulled out her cell and was instantly on it, talking to someone. "Yeah, the dollar theatre down on Center. Have a team scout it out and be discreet. No, I will not have an escort. Just do it! Thanks, Bato." Jun then turned back to the teens and smiled. "We'll leave in ten minutes. That gives you enough time to clean up a bit," she said to Zuko.

He nodded and headed towards his room and changed out of his workout clothes. He glanced into his mirror before he left and saw the small cuts on his face from the glass as well as a small bruise forming on his temple where one of Ozai's jabs had barely hit. He knew he looked like a mess, but at least Toph didn't care. Quickly raking a hand through his hair, he grabbed his leather jacket and found Toph looking bored in the entryway as Jun and Iroh waited.

"…she should be here by tomorrow, though I know Lao probably won't stand to have her in his house," Jun was saying.

"She can stay here," Iroh said with a warm smile. "It's just across the street and you can come and check on her anytime."

"I know," Jun said with a frown. "I prefer her with me. She's only spent a few nights without me, and she'll be hyper when she sees me again."

"Who are they talking about?" Zuko whispered to Toph as he stopped next to her.

"Nyla," Toph whispered back. "She's Jun's partner and best friend. She's saved Jun's live plenty of times and she goes everywhere with her, but my dad doesn't like her."

Thoughts raced through Zuko's mind of who Nyla could be and the relationship between Nyla and Jun until Iroh's next comment reached his ears.

"You know she'll protect Zuko, he's good with animals. She's a border collie, right?" Iroh asked Jun.

"Yep, she's my baby," Jun said with a smile. "I think she's part shepherd, but I'll only leave her here if she is comfortable with both of you. Wouldn't want anyone to wake up with a dog on their chest, growling at them."

Iroh laughed and Zuko was both relieved and nervous. It was just a dog, though if Jun used the dog as a partner, it was also a trained attack dog. Jun smiled back at them and then Iroh was leading the way to the garage. When they entered, Jun stopped and grinned at Iroh.

"Didn't know you hijacked one of these old things," she said.

"Didn't have to, they gave it to me as a retirement present," Iroh said with a flirty smile that made Zuko want to cover his eyes and be blind like Toph.

Zuko just walked to the back and got in, sliding over to let Toph in as Jun walked around the car, admiring it and listing off features.

"Old Cadillac with bullet proof siding, bullet proof glass, tear resistant and armored tires, as well as a v8 hemi engine. Thought there were only five of these and they used them for high profile cases," Jun said as she made her way to the passenger side.

"They are, but this one had a bad transmission," Iroh said as he got into the car. "I got it fixed and then it was all mine."

"They're going to be like this all the time, aren't they," Toph said in a dull tone and Zuko nodded.

"At least for a while," he sighed quietly and scowled at his uncle as Iroh turned around to smile at them.

"Ah, don't be such a party pooper," Jun said to him. "We'll respect your time, just respect ours."

Zuko sighed again, causing Toph to giggle slightly. Thankfully Iroh started the car and was soon driving out of the neighborhood. Zuko kept glancing out the window, searching for anything that didn't belong as Jun and Iroh caught up, but he didn't see anything. A short time later, they arrived at the theatre and were soon watching the movie. Zuko kept glancing around occasionally, though as the movie continued, he relaxed and Toph leaned into his side as he draped an arm around her shoulder.

"Your uncle is enjoying himself," Toph murmured against his side as she turned so that she could lean into him better.

Zuko risked a quick glance back and saw Iroh smiling and Jun actually blushing slightly a few rows behind them. There weren't many people in the theatre and the last few rows were empty save for the couple and their chaperones. Zuko sighed as Iroh turned towards him and gave the scarred teen a triumphant smile.

"There's going to be no end to the madness now," Zuko muttered darkly.

"Like she said, respect their time as they respect ours. Now hush, the best part is coming," Toph said with a held back laugh.

Zuko just smiled and pulled Toph closer to him, enjoying the movie. They both enjoyed the movie and waited as the credits rolled.

"How many times have you actually seen that movie?" Zuko asked as Toph sat up and stretched.

She turned towards him with a grin and Zuko scowled, knowing he had gotten himself into trouble. "Zero," she said with a smirk. "But I've heard it eight times."

"Walked right into that one, didn't I," Zuko muttered and Toph just smiled sweetly and leaned over to kiss him quickly. He kissed her back, but stopped when he saw some familiar people standing up in the front of the theatre. They spotted him and Toph and smiled, waving at them.

"We were so worried," Katara said as she rushed forward to hug Toph. Zuko almost smiled as Toph gave a look as if she was tired of the mothering, but frowned as Sokka looked at him questioningly.

"I'm fine, Sugar Queen, and Sunshine is too. Relax," Toph sighed before finally stepping away from Katara. Zuko noticed Jun and Iroh walking towards the group and Toph brightened. "You guys remember my cousin, Jun?"

Sokka, Aang and Katara nodded, but Suki looked a little confused. "I thought Katara said it was your aunt coming," the red-haired girl said.

"I'm Toph's cousin," Jun answered. "She just calls me Aunt. Come on Squirt, let's get something to eat. That old Frostee Freeze still here?"

"No, it's a Cold Stone now," Aang said happily as he walked up to Katara and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Even better," Jun said with a grin. "Lead on."

Zuko just sighed and frowned as Aang got cheerful and stood to follow everyone out of the theatre. Surprisingly, Toph held him back and he saw his uncle waiting as well.

"They're going to want to know," Toph said in a serious voice. Zuko nodded and pulled her close to him. He didn't know if he should, or even could, tell her friends what was going on. So many people were in danger, just from associating with him, he wondered if he should even tell the others the minimum.

"It is your choice, Nephew," Iroh said with a smile. "I know you are troubled by the thought of putting them in danger."

"Yeah," Zuko muttered and then glanced down at Toph. "Maybe, but not today."

"Your call," Toph said with a smile and Iroh nodded, passing them to follow Jun. Zuko found him and Toph nearly alone in the theatre and glanced down at Toph. She was so beautiful, he wondered why it had taken nearly a month to see it, for Katara to make Toph dress girly for him to see it. And she was too good for him.

"Not regretting anything, are you?" Toph asked as Iroh stopped at the door to the theatre and waited.

"No," Zuko whispered before he bent down to kiss her gently. He kept the kiss gentle and quick and soon they were joining the others in the Cold Stone. Smellerbee and Longshot were there, and seemed surprised to see Zuko. Smellerbee looked liked she wanted to ask questions, but more customers came in and she went to serve them as Longshot rang up Zuko and Toph's purchases. The quiet teen gave Zuko a long look and Zuko sighed, shaking his head.

"I can't tell you, sorry," he muttered and Longshot just smiled and nodded.

"Be safe," Longshot said in a quiet, deep voice that surprised Zuko and he nodded his thanks to the somber teen before grabbing his ice cream and heading outside. He noticed Toph studying him as she started eating her ice cream and he smiled.

"He's understanding," Zuko sighed as he sank onto a bench next to Toph. She just smiled.

"Yeah, he is," she whispered to him before turning to Sokka. "So, why are you all here?"

Sokka gave a penetrating glance to Zuko before turning to Toph. "Just hanging out. The whole school was buzzing about what had happened, but no one knows. Gonna fill us in?"

He turned to Zuko again and the scarred teen frowned. "Not now," Zuko muttered before taking a bite of ice cream.

Sokka frowned and was about to open his mouth when Jun spoke. "This isn't the best place. Besides, I have to get Toph back to her house in about a half hour. So, Aang, you and Katara finally hooked up?"

Zuko listened in as Jun kept the others off the subject of Zuko and the dance and was filled in on what had happened to them all in the past year. Soon, she was up and hurrying Toph and Zuko up and towards the parking lot. Zuko glanced back and saw Sokka frowning from still not knowing anything.

"I'll tell them a little," he told Toph quietly and Toph nodded.

"Hey Snoozles," she called out as she turned back to the group. "You guys should come over to my place tomorrow, and we'll watch some of the new anime I got."

"Sounds good, Toph. We'll be there," Sokka said, looking more relieved. He and the others waved goodbye to them and Toph smiled, seeming to be happier as they made their way to the car. Once they were driving again, Zuko turned to Jun.

"Your men need to be better. I spotted three of them," he told the FBI agent.

He noticed Jun's shoulders stiffen before she shrugged. She turned to give him a wry smile over her shoulder. "How can you know it's my men? Could have been your old man's."

"No," Zuko replied, frowning and seeing Toph and Iroh listening in patiently. "My father doesn't have any men, not after what he's done. They were trying to be stealthy, and act casual. They were all young, probably new to this. One was blond, about six feet and kept glancing at you. The second had dark hair and seemed a little nervous when he was ordering ice cream. Especially when I told Longshot that I couldn't tell him anything. And the third guy was better. Long brown hair, older, but I only caught one glimpse. They acted too professional, too much like agents."

Jun was scowling by the end, and Zuko almost smiled at how well he could see her men. He decided to push his luck. "And my father wouldn't be seen unless he wanted to be seen. I've only seen him twice in three years, and he wanted me to both times."

Jun nodded and pulled out her phone, talking, and then yelling, at the guy she had spoken to before. Toph took Zuko's hand in her own and when the scarred teen glanced at his girlfriend, he saw her smiling at him.

"When was the other time?" she asked him quietly as Jun continued to yell at her man.

"Right before we left witness protection," Zuko told Toph quietly. He remembered it vividly. They had been in a place for three months and the agents were starting to become relaxed since Ozai hadn't shown. Azula had just been placed in the special school, so she wasn't a problem and Zuko felt like he could start having a normal life again. He remembered walking to the agent's car after school and had seen his father casually leaning against a tree in the park across the street. He had hurried to the car and told the agent what he had seen, but when they looked again, Ozai was gone. They had hurried to Iroh and had asked for more agents, but they wouldn't get there until morning. Iroh had taken the initiative and moved him and Zuko that night and the scarred teen had found out later that Ozai had broken into the house the next morning and killed one of the agents. Iroh had then set up his network of friends and they had continued to move.

Toph squeezed his hand and brought Zuko back to himself. "How old were you then?" she asked.

"Fourteen," Zuko sighed. "It was nearly a year after he had scarred me and my mother."

Toph just nodded and kept her hand in his for the rest of the car ride. When they got back to Zuko's house, the older man Zuko had spotted once was there, next to a large kennel. Now that Zuko could get a better look, he noticed the man had some grey hairs, but he was tall, tan, and well built, though he was more wiry than muscle-y. His blue eyes were guarded, and he had a scar on his arm that looked like a burn, but Zuko could only see the scar at the wrist where the shirt ended. The man smiled at them, but his smile disappeared when Jun got out of the car. She turned back to Zuko.

"This one of the men you spotted?"

"Yeah, but just once. I wasn't completely sure with him, but he paused too long," Zuko stated.

Jun nodded and went to the kennel, immediately opening it and a medium sized dog came out. It was definitely a collie, shepherd mix. Brown and black coloring with the collie's face, but was between a collie and shepherd in size. The dog was immediately licking Jun who was enjoying it and then the dog was running to Toph and Zuko. The scarred teen braced himself for an attack, but the dog just jumped onto Toph, gave her a lick on the face to which she laughed before backing off to stare down Zuko. He just stared back and after a minute of silence from the onlookers, the dog opened its mouth to pant with a dog smile and sniffed Zuko's hand before licking it. He relaxed and pet the dog's head.

"Good, she likes you," Jun said. "Now, come on, everyone inside."

The teens nodded, and went inside, but Zuko noticed the man stopping Jun with a few words that he couldn't make out. The dog rushed ahead of him and he could hear someone else greeting the dog, but stopped short when he saw three people in the family room. The one greeting the dog stood slowly, and Zuko rushed forward to help her before he hugged her tightly.

"I'm glad to see you too, Zuko," Ursa said quietly, but fondly.

Zuko nodded, and helped hold his mother up as Jun and Iroh came in, followed by the man. "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Toph Bei Fong," Zuko said, gesturing to Toph.

"Come here, dear," Ursa said to Toph and Zuko smiled slightly at Toph's look of surprise when Ursa pulled the blind girl into a hug.

"Ah, family reunions can be so sweet," Jun said. "I have to take Toph home. Zuko, this is Bato, head of my team," she said, referring to the blue-eyed man who had been outside. "He'll be here, as well as Matt and Danny there. And of course Nyla, since she likes you." Jun reached down to pet Nyla's head since the dog had retreated to her side. "I'm right across the street, and I'll be over in the morning to check on things. Bato, you know who you need to talk to."

The blue-eyed man nodded and Toph hugged Zuko tightly before smiling at him. "Remember, tomorrow is anime at my place. I'll call you later."

Zuko just nodded, aware that everyone was watching him hug Toph goodbye. He let her go quickly and watched her leave as Bato spoke to the other agents in the room. The men all left as Iroh helped Ursa to the couch and Zuko went to sit next to his mother, Nyla moving to sit near him.

"I thought you'd be somewhere safer," Zuko said to his mother, concerned about her being at his house, even though he was glad she was there.

"I am," Ursa said quietly. "Jun's the best they've got and I've known her for years. Bato, too. Don't worry so much, there are plenty of people here to watch over us. Now, tell me about this dance."

Zuko sighed, but started telling his mom about what had happened since he last saw her, including the dance the night before. He was glad she was there, finally free of the hospital. But he was worried at the same time. Everyone he cared about was now in the same place. He knew it would be easier for the FBI to guard, but it would also make it easier for his father to destroy them all.


	16. Family and Freinds

A/N: Thank you everyone for being son patient and understanding. And thank you everyone who continues to read. I'm sorry this is so late, and I guess an explanation is in order. If you've read Love is Blind, you can skip this and start reading. Wait, Go and read **Redemption** by NonFiction. He's a good friend and asked me to beta his post war toko. It's a wonderful read and holds you, making you want more. Go read it, and then come back. If you need a link, go to my page and I have the story under favorites,

Ok, now, for the explanation. I left my animal training job because there wasn't any work and no pay, starting two part time jobs. I currently work 12 hours a day 5 to 6 days a week and during that time, also moved back home, closer to my family. We are trying to extend our own family, and waiting patiently for that. Unfortunately, during that time, my computer crashed. We took it to our friend who is an IT guy and he tried, but it was the only comp he couldn't fix in 20 years. Then we took it to Best Buy and they fixed it, but it got back without word. A week later, I got word and have started writing again. Alas, I can only write in the mornings and at lunch, but I do continue to write. Thank you everyone and a huge thanks to NonFiction for helping me with this chapter. Ok, go read, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, obviously, or I wouldn't be working this much!

Chapter 16

Toph stayed silent throughout dinner. Her father had been waiting for her and Jun when they had gotten to the house and had expressed his intense displeasure at Toph going out, let alone with _that boy_. Her mother had tried to calm Lao down, but it had been to no avail, and now the entire table was silent except for the sounds of utensils and chewing. Lao finished whatever he had been eating and set his fork down with a sharp clang.

"I don't want you seeing him again," Lao stated.

Toph frowned at her father. "Well, no problem there, seeing as how I'm blind."

"You know what I mean," Lao grated.

"Well, too bad," Toph retorted. "He lives across the street, we have nearly all the same classes, _and_, Zuko's my boyfriend."

"I don't want you associating with him, at all!"

"Lao, relax," Jun said calmly. "They're just kids. Let them have a life."

"No, and you are to stay out of this," Loa said sharply to Jun.

"I won't," Jun shot back. "I'm here to guard them, and the closer they are to each other, the easier my job is. I'm trying to catch the bad guy, remember?"

"If he hadn't come into my daughter's life, none of this would have happened!" Lao stated.

"Well, it happened, get over it," Jun said and Toph heard her adjust to the front of her chair, probably ready to dive for Lao's throat if need be.

Toph scowled and stood, pushing her chair out of her way. "I'm right here, and I won't be talked about as if I'm a baby!"

"Toph, dear," Jasmine started to say, but Toph merely threw her napkin onto her plate.

"No, Mom. I'm fourteen! Almost fifteen! Most people my age are dating, going out, getting ready to learn to drive, but I'm being treated like an infant! I like Zuko, and he likes me. He didn't ask for this, and neither did I! I will continue to 'see' him, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it!"

With that, Toph stormed out of the dining room and to her room, hearing her father shout, "Get back here at once!", but she ignored him. After slamming her door, Toph grabbed her phone and iPod. Instantly putting one of the earphones in and turning up the volume to Breaking the Habit, she then called Zuko.

"Hi," Zuko said, sounding unusually happy.

"Hi," Toph sighed and the other line became silent.

"You ok?"

Toph remained silent for a bit.

"Toph?" Zuko asked.

"I'm feeling better now," Toph said, feeling a smile tug at her mouth. "Had a fight with my dad. He hates you even more right now."

"Did you tell him going out was your idea?" Zuko asked with a wry tone.

Toph smiled more. "No," she said with a light laugh. "He wouldn't let me. Kept saying about how bad an influence you are, how bad your family is, yadda, yadda, yadda."

She grinned as Zuko chuckled. "So, what's got you in such a good mood?" she asked.

"Catching up with my mom, and Nyla is actually kind of…fun."

"Never thought of you as a dog person," Toph said with a grin.

"Never had one before. No pets as a kid," Zuko said and Toph thought he sounded sad. She knew what it was like to not have a true childhood, probably better than most.

"I know what you mean," she sighed as she heard her door open and a stealthy person entered her room. "You coming over tomorrow?"

"If I don't get shot," Zuko replied.

"Don't think he owns a gun. I'll check on his plans, and call you later."

"Guess you just got company," Zuko said with a smile in his tone and Toph couldn't help but smile back, knowing he would hear it.

"Yeah, see you later."

"See you," Zuko said, almost laughing as Toph heard a dog panting before he hung up.

"You still say 'see you'?" Jun asked with a smile in her tone as Toph heard another person come to the doorway.

"Yep. Hi to you too, Mom," Toph said as she turned down the volume of her iPod.

"Toph, you shouldn't have shouted at your father like that," Jasmine said, almost reprimanding her daughter.

"Yes, she should have, and I'm glad she did," Jun said proudly.

"Hello, right here. Again," Toph sighed, frowning at both her mother and cousin. "He asked for it, and I'm not going to apologize. I'm not a child anymore!"

Jasmine sat on the bed and placed a hand on Toph's shoulder to which the blind girl shrugged off.

"But you are, dear," Jasmine said softly. "You are your father's daughter, and always will be."

"She's got a point," Jun said with a wry smile in her tone. "Your father never did what was expected of him either. So, you still going through with tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Jasmine asked.

"Everyone's coming over tomorrow to watch some of the new anime I got," Toph said before she sighed again. "What's the old man's problem? He gets used to my school, my friends, and then hates my newest friend who turns out to become my boyfriend."

"He's just worried about you, dear," Jasmine said in a gentle tone. "You are his daughter and you are blind."

"Being blind doesn't mean being frail and weak!" Toph nearly shouted.

Jasmine had been reaching for her, and Jun was standing tensely as if to send a retort to Jasmine, but Toph heard both women stop and turn after she spoke, almost as if they were staring at her. Then came the sound of Jun shrugging as Toph heard another person stop in the hallway.

"She's right," Jun said to Jasmine, suddenly calm. "Toph, you can handle yourself, I'm just here to watch out for you. If you'll be civil with your father, so will I. Night, Jaz."

Toph nodded to her cousin and waited as Jun left and went to the front room, probably to do her rounds before she turned in for the night. Toph then turned her face towards where she could still hear her mother breathing, almost as if she was still frozen in shock.

"Mom?" Toph asked after a minute of silence.

"Sorry," Jasmine said, shaking her head as she relaxed a little. "Your father and Jun have…history. And not the best. He's worried about you."

"I know, but it's too late now. Zuko's dad saw me, and though neither one of us wanted to be in this position, here we are."

"I know," Jasmine sighed. "Toph, just promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't go out looking for trouble."

Toph smiled at the 'looking' comment. She could remark on it, as she usually would, but her mother was serious. "I promise, Mom. Jun can handle the bad guys, just let me live at least a partially normal life."

Jasmine nodded and a slight smile was in her tone when she spoke again. "I'll talk to your father. He's leaving at ten, tomorrow for a business trip and will be gone a couple of days. You two should at least be civil with each other before he leaves. Goodnight dear."

"Night Mom," Toph said and waited until her mother had left and gone to her own room at the end of the hall before she called out. "I know you heard at least most of it, you can come in now."

She hid a smirk as she heard her father walk to the door and stop just outside of it.

"It's hard to do this," Lao stated in a firm tone and Toph waited a full minute before he spoke the next two words. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Toph replied, and frowned, knowing what she had to do, and realizing that it was as hard for her as it was for her father to do. "I'm sorry too, but I'm not a frail, little girl anymore."

"And I will always see you as my little girl," Lao stated with affection in his tone. "You promise you'll be careful?"

"Yes, Dad. I promise. I won't leave Jun, and I won't make Zuko go out if he doesn't want to," Toph said and almost laughed as she heard her father stop, startled.

"He…"

"Yes, he didn't want to go out to the movie today. I made him. Also, Jun had her people check the place out. Everything has to be as close to normal as it can be for Jun to catch this guy. You know this is true."

"You always were too smart for your own good," Lao said with a slight smile and pride in his tone.

Toph smiled back. "You too, old man."

"I know you're right, you'd still be in danger, and it isn't your fault. Just be careful," Lao said and Toph felt sad as she heard worry and something else in her father's tone.

"I will, Dad. You too."

She heard her father nod and then leave, his step lighter than it had been when he had come to her room. Happy that she had made peace and stood her ground against everyone in her family that night, Toph called Zuko with the plans for the next day.

XXXXX

Zuko sighed as he got dressed. Everyone being over at his house was a nightmare. His mother had taken the guest room between his room and his uncle's with his bathroom between the two. The older of the two agents who stayed took the last and smallest guest room while the younger one slept on the couch and Nyla had immediately found a place at the foot of his bed. The dog he didn't mind so much, but going from an almost empty house to an overfull house was a bit annoying. He had moved silently as he had made his way to the garage where he just barely had enough room to work out on the punching bag, but no room to work on his forms.

On top of that, he had to be quiet as he did everything, moving through the house after working out, showering and eating breakfast. He only really cared about not waking his mother, she still grew tired easily, but he was tempted to wake Danny on the couch as the agent turned and mumbled happily in his sleep as Zuko moved towards the kitchen to get breakfast after he worked out. Nyla was the only one who kept silent in the house, following him like a shadow and watching him as he worked out, ate breakfast and then dressed. Now, she was watching him as he pulled his black sweatshirt on and she opened her mouth in a dog grin as he patted her head on his way out. He heard his mother and Iroh in the kitchen as Nyla followed him out. Bato was there, holding a cup of coffee as Iroh and Ursa sipped tea. Danny was still sleeping and Zuko scowled as the young agent snorted in his sleep.

Bato glanced at Zuko and smiled wryly. The older agent walked over to Danny and crooked his finger towards Nyla. Zuko watched as the dog cocked her head, looking at Bato and Bato made a hand gesture to the dog and then pointed at Danny as the young agent turned so that his back was to the room. Nyla got up and walked over to Danny, stopping once she faced him, and then stuck her nose under the blanket and into the young agent's back. Zuko smiled as Danny shot straight up, yelling as Nyla's cold nose touched his skin. Iroh laughed heartily as Danny turned to glare at Nyla and then Bato.

"You were snoring," Bato merely said before turning to smile at Zuko.

The scarred teen nodded to Bato, thanking him silently as Nyla came back to his side. He gave the dog a scratch behind the ears and looked back up at Bato as the agent pulled out his cell phone.

"Yeah, ok, I'll walk them over now," Bato said and then hung up and turned to Zuko. "You and Nyla are to go over now. Danny, get up and check outside."

The younger agent sighed and got up, pushing some of his black hair out of his face before going to the door and windows and then strolled outside to get the newspaper before turning back to Zuko and Bato and nodding once as he walked back towards the house. Bato just nodded back and made a gesture to Nyla. The dog instantly stood, looking alert, and stayed by Zuko's side as Bato turned to him.

"She'll protect you, come on," the older agent said with a smile.

Zuko just nodded and followed Bato out of the house, smiling to his mother and uncle on his way out. He had told them the plan the night before after Toph had called him a second time and they all knew he would be ok at Toph's house. Zuko was mostly worried about telling Toph's friends about himself and how much or little he should tell them. The scarred teen turned to Bato as they crossed the street and.

"You going to teach me those signals?" he asked Bato.

"I can't," Bato said, not even turning to look at Zuko. "I only know the basic signals. The one I used was used on me a few years ago and she loves to do it. Jun will teach you more."

With that, he stopped at the door and knocked once. Jun answered the door and Zuko thought she looked tired and in a bad mood.

"Thanks, Bato. Do a sweep and then you can rest. Make sure the pups do their job and watch over Iroh," Jun told her agent, and then made room for Zuko to enter. Zuko just saw Bato nod and then turn around and Nyla waited until he entered before following. The dog sat as Jun closed the door and Zuko was about to head into the family room when Jun said, "Wait."

"Lao wants to talk to you," Jun said before passing Zuko on the way to the family room. She glanced back at him and frowned. "Alone. He's in the family room, I'll be in the dojo. Nyla, guard."

She turned and walked off and Zuko glanced down at the dog. Nyla looked up at him and cocked her head to the side, and perked her ears up as if questioning him. He sighed and made his way to the family room, not looking forward to talking to Toph's father. In some ways, Lao was scarier than his own father. He had stood up to his own father, but Ozai only wanted him dead. Lao didn't want him anywhere near Toph, and Zuko didn't know how far the man would go to tear them apart. He found Lao waiting for him, his back turned towards him, and Zuko stopped, noticing Nyla stopping and sitting next to him. Lao turned towards him and glanced down at Nyla, frowning at the dog before he frowned at Zuko, to which the scarred teen frowned back.

"You know I don't like you," Lao stated.

"I know," Zuko nearly growled, but kept his face as expressionless as possible as he tried to remain calm.

Lao sighed and suddenly looked tired. "My daughter likes you, and she tends to see the best in people. I don't like this, but seeing as how she was the…instigator, yesterday, I hope we can come to an understanding."

Zuko waited, watching Lao. The man seemed worried, nervous, but also slightly angry.

"I know Jun is going after your father, how do you feel about that?" Lao asked.

"I wish I could help her more," Zuko stated. "I'm not going to run any more."

"Why not?" Lao asked, meeting Zuko's eyes.

"He'll just hurt more people," Zuko replied. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"So you'll risk my daughter's life?" Lao asked in an accusing tone. Zuko's frown deepened, but he held his temper in check as he responded.

"No, but I'll risk mine. I didn't want him to know about Toph, but it's too late for that. I thought we had more time."

"More time?' Lao asked, raising an eyebrow, to which Zuko nearly scowled.

"My ex girlfriend showed up Friday, and warned me about my father being close," Zuko said, and tore his eyes away from Lao's to scowl at the ground. "I decided to stay, thinking I could make a plan this weekend." He looked back up at Lao and frowned. "I didn't want any of this to happen."

Lao sighed and nodded. "I know. Just don't put my daughter in danger, and protect her if you can," Lao said and Zuko studied Toph's father. He seemed resigned to a course of action, but was still planning things on the side.

"She can take care of herself," Zuko said with a slight smile as he noticed Nyla perk up, facing the hallway.

Lao looked confused at Zuko's smile but then glanced at the dog and a smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. "I know she can, but I still worry. I'm heading out of town for a few days on business. Goodbye, Toph."

"Bye, Dad," Toph said as she came out of the hallway and smiled at her father.

Lao glanced back at his daughter and nodded once before glancing at Zuko. He sent a frown to the scarred teen, almost as if he was reminding him that he was still Toph's father before he left. Toph just seemed to stare at Zuko until they heard the door close and then she grinned. Zuko relaxed, knowing they were ok, and met her halfway in a hug and then kissed her. She kissed him back and the scarred teen found himself getting lost in the kiss, running one hand through Toph's hair and the other down her back as he pulled her closer, but she pulled back with a wry grin.

"My mom's still here, and Jun's coming right now," Toph said in a low voice and Zuko sighed, knowing they wouldn't be able to continue for a while. He nodded, pulling back and Toph bent down to greet Nyla as Jun entered the room and glanced around before she sighed in relief.

"I swear, sometimes Lao is worse than some of the biggest, baddest thugs I've run into," Jun said as she made her way to sit on a chair. As she sat, Nyla ran over to her and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears before she curled up next to the chair. Zuko glanced at Toph and saw her thinking about something. She made her way to the couch and sat on it, smiling at Zuko and he joined his girlfriend before Toph turned her attention to her cousin.

"Mom said you and Dad had history. Is that what all this tension is about?" Toph asked Jun and Zuko just watched the two women. Jun tensed slightly before she smiled wryly at both of them.

"Yeah, he was my boyfriend in high school," Jun said before she sighed. "But we fought too much, and I realized it wouldn't work out between us, so I broke it off. He knew Jaz then too and before they started going out, Jaz asked if I was ok with it. I was, and told her so. Lao needed someone to anchor him, not make him more rowdy, and my cousin was the best for that. They're a perfect match, don't you think?"

Jun turned her gaze to Zuko at the last and he frowned at Jun as she grinned. Her smile was too smug, and if she was implying that he and Toph were like Jun and Lao, he would leave at that moment. Toph just smiled next to him.

"Yeah, I never figured it that way," Toph told her cousin before turning to smile at Zuko. "So you're my anchor, huh Sunshine?"

Zuko just chuckled softly, which seemed to surprise Jun. He wrapped an arm around Toph's waist and drew her close to him. "Maybe, but I think it's more the other way around," he told Toph softly.

The blind girl just grinned and reached up to kiss him as Jun went from startled to smiling again. They heard a knock on the door and Jun got up to head to the door. "Guess your friends are here early," she said as she passed them and Zuko frowned again, knowing he had to tell Toph's friends something about his past. The pair heard Sokka and Aang talking before they and their girlfriends joined them in the family room. Suki and Sokka sat on the love seat as Aang and Katara sat on the far end of the couch Zuko and Toph sat on, though Aang left plenty of room between himself and Zuko. Sokka narrowed his eyes at Zuko.

"So, gonna tell us what's going on?' the blue-eyed senior asked.

Zuko scowled, almost retorting in anger, but Toph merely placed a hand on his arm and he relaxed slightly, feeling his anger leech out through her touch. The scarred teen turned inward, trying to find a way to tell Toph's friends some information without telling them everything and still conveying how dangerous it was for them to be near him.

"Zuko, we're your friends too," Aang said, his grey eyes showing innocence as he watched Zuko. The scarred teen brought his eyes up to meet Aang's and was startled as the sophomore smiled at him. "We're worried about you too," Aang told him.

Zuko felt Toph squeeze his arm slightly and saw her smiling out of the corner of his bad eye when he turned to her slightly. He knew by her smile that she supported him and would stand by his side. She didn't care how much he told her friends, or how much he had told her of his past. She liked and respected him. He looked around and saw everyone, Sokka, Suki, Aang, Katara and Jun, watching him and waiting patiently, though Sokka seemed to be growing impatient. Zuko placed his hand on Toph's and squeezed it slightly, thanking her silently as he thought of what he should say.

"I told you a little in the car," he started, watching the people before him as he continued to try to find the right words. "My father," he said, feeling disgust at even saying the word, "tried to kill my mother and I a few years ago. He did this to me," Zuko said, pointing to his scar, "and nearly killed us. I…I managed to save my mom, but he continued to chase us. That's why my uncle and I move so much. I've decided I'm not running anymore, and he showed up at homecoming. It's dangerous for anyone to associate with me, but he saw Toph, and may go after her. That's why Jun is here."

Sokka, Suki, and Katara were all staring at him in shock while Toph and Jun smiled proudly, but oddly, Aang seemed to be nodding, accepting the simple explanation.

"Who was that girl then?" Sokka asked. "The one the cops took away."

"My sister," Zuko replied, scowling as he remembered Toph reaching for him and then her touch leaving as he faced his father two days before.

"Well, that explains some of the looks you've given me," Sokka said with a grin. Zuko nodded, turning to Aang.

"You don't seem surprised," Zuko told the sophomore.

Aang looked up at him, slightly surprised but then smiled weakly. "I lived in an orphanage for the first eight years of my life," the sophomore said, getting a far away look in his eyes. "Some of the stories I heard there, well, they were about as bad as yours. Just different. I helped a lot of them, just listening, but I was never so happy as when Gyatso adopted me. That's why I'm working towards being a social service worker." The goofy kid got a huge grin on his face as he turned to kiss Katara's cheek. "And hopefully help a lot of those kids in the future."

Zuko just let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth as Toph sighed and blew her bangs out of her face as Katara kissed Aang back and Sokka started looking disgusted as the two locked lips before Suki turned to kiss her boyfriend, taking Sokka's mind off of Aang kissing his little sister.

"So…" Toph said, startling everyone as she got up to head to the entertainment center. "You guys up for some Naruto?"

Zuko almost chuckled as the couples broke apart, blushing and smiling sheepishly to which Toph just grinned wickedly. He knew Toph enjoyed needling everyone about their couple status, but kept his face calm as Fong came out with a platter of cookies and sodas as the anime started. Toph retreated back to his side, cuddling into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He knew he could be himself in the safety of her house, but outside, and in school, he would have to be careful. The scarred teen didn't know if his father would be watching, or where, but Zuko was determined to keep everyone safe. His father had always sought him, to humiliate and harm him, thinking he was weak, worthless. And since Ozai had failed to kill him several times, Zuko knew his father was driven almost to the point of madness to finish the job. And Ozai's words still haunted him. _You're going to suffer, and then I'll kill you_, Ozai had told him and if Zuko had to make himself a target to keep his friends and family safe, he would.

He noticed Jun turning to watch him occasionally as they watched or listened to the anime, and saw her smiling whenever his eyes met hers. But there was a hardness to her eyes that Zuko understood. After several hours of anime, the other couples had left after talking about what the buzz would be at school the next day and getting a few more reminders about how dangerous it was to be around Zuko. Jun had even started teaching Zuko some of the hand signals that Nyla responded to, but the FBI agent turned to Zuko as Fong escorted the friends out.

"You know the risks, and I know you're trying to distance yourself from them to protect them, but no making yourself bait," Jun told him seriously.

Zuko met her gaze. "Not unless I have to," he relied and Jun merely sighed, blowing some of her bangs out of her face as Toph did before a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Just let me know beforehand," Jun replied before calling Nyla over to show Zuko a few more signals. Once she was sure he had the basic signals down pat, the FBI agent left Zuko and Toph alone to walk around the house and check on her men. Toph slid next to Zuko after patting Nyla's head and turned to smile up at her boyfriend.

"So, just you and me…alone…" she said slyly and Zuko smiled before pulling her close to kiss her soundly while they had a few moments alone. They both knew these moments would be rare, much rarer than they had been, especially since they were now being watched all the time. After what only seemed like seconds, Toph drew away and smiled when Zuko frowned at her, wondering why she had stopped. "My mom's coming, but don't worry, we'll steal a few more moments later."

He almost pouted, and she kissed him quickly and he sighed, knowing she spoke the truth. "We're going to have to be careful," he said and saw her smile falter. "Outside of our houses, we'll…"

"No," Toph said when he paused. She grabbed onto him, her hands moving until they landed on his wrists and he was surprised at how her blind eyes seemed to search his face, though they never focused. "You are not leaving."

Zuko felt his face soften at the look of shock and the small amount of fear on Toph's face and in her eyes. He pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead. "No, I'm not leaving," he told her gently. "You showed me that I can't run forever. I'm just saying maybe we should tone it down a little out there."

He felt better as she sighed in relief, though her grip on him never loosened. She then smiled mischievously and he knew she understood. "You have to ruin my fun?" she asked innocently.

"Who says I'm ruining it?" he asked her quietly as he heard her mother and Jun coming towards them and bent low to kiss her neck. Toph seemed to be startled as he continued to kiss her before she giggled and then pushed him away gently.

"You've got a point, but I smell dinner and I'm hungry," Toph said before she stood, holding out her hand to him. Zuko grinned and took it, rising off the couch to enjoy dinner with her mother and cousin before he was escorted home. He continued to worry about the safety of his friends and family, but he knew he and Toph would be ok, and Jun and her people would do everything in their power to keep them all safe.

A/N: Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	17. Back To School

A/N: Thank you everyone again for being so patient with me. I don't get much time to write, but In will finish my stories. Thanks again, and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

Chapter 17

Toph sighed and muttered under her breath as Fong drove her, Zuko and Jun to school. It was early, way too early to be up, let alone going to school. She was surprised when Zuko suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to land a kiss on her cheek.

"Relax, it'll be fine," he said in a low tone, but Toph heard the uncertainty and nervousness in his tone. She blew her bangs out of her face and turned to smile at him.

"I know, I'm just not a morning person," she replied and heard Jun mutter an affirmative as Zuko chuckled.

"And I am," Zuko said with a tease in his tone before he turned serious. "You really think Long Feng will work with you?" he asked Jun sitting in the front.

"He has to," Jun replied in a smug tone. She was silent and Toph tried to remember if Jun had anything on their principal, but just sighed at not being able to think clearly. It was definitely way too early.

"We're here," Jun said in a serious tone just before Fong started applying the brakes. Toph nodded, hearing Zuko doing the same and they waited for Jun to get out before they did and the FBI agent hurried them inside. Toph was amazed at how quiet the school was. No students anywhere, just the occasional footsteps of a few FBI agents and the gardener came to Toph and the blind girl was surprised at how the halls seemed to echo with their footsteps once they were inside. Jun hurried them to the principal's office and then had them wait in Joo Dee's office where Bato was waiting while she talked with Long Feng. As Toph leaned against the wall and heard Zuko drop his backpack onto the floor before sinking into a chair, she was reminded of the last time she had been in the principal's office.

"You realize this is where we met, right?" she asked with a smile and heard Zuko turn to her.

"Yeah, never thought it would get as far as it did," Zuko said with a smile in his tone. "I'm glad you're persistent now, though I didn't like it then." His tone became sly and Toph just giggled, knowing they were getting an odd look from Joo Dee and Bato before Jun's voice came to them through the door.

"You idiot! I have to be there! With either one of them and you were not supposed to tell your staff!" Jun yelled.

"This will put my staff and students in danger. The staff, particularly the teachers of these two, should know. I only told those teachers the truth, or at least the little bit I know," Long Feng said back to Jun in a conspiring tone.

"That's fine then," Jun growled. "Some of them were there Friday and know already. But I need to know if you're gonna talk about this any more. Any, and I mean _any_ information you give out needs to be passed through me first. Understood?"

"You may think you're big and tough now, but don't think I'm incompetent Ms. Shirshu. I remember how much of a bully you used to be, and I will not be pushed around by you!" Long Feng stated.

"You were always a weasel," Jun stated. "But that's not why we're here today. There are two kids out there that need our help to protect them from an evil man. If you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, their lives and a whole lot of other lives could be endangered. Neither of us would like this to become another Columbine. Got it?" Jun growled.

Toph listened as silence reigned and knew Zuko was listening as well.

"I understand, Ms. Shirshu" Long Feng finally grated out. "But, what excuse shall I give as to your position. Things are difficult to hide on a school campus, as I'm sure you remember."

"I don't know," Jun replied in a smug tone. "Think of something, you're the principal. It's a good thing you have them in similar classes, and if this drags out longer, I want them in as many classes together as you can arrange next semester."

"Very well, I'll pass on the word that you will be an aide for Miss Bei…"

"No, I need to be in Zuko's history class," Jun interrupted.

"Fine," Long Feng growled as Toph heard Mr. Pakku enter the secratary's office. "You and your…associate in the next room will be doing reviews on the school and may show up at any class. Your men are here because of the intruders and are part of a police force."

"Good, and remember the story…"

"Good morning, Zuko, Toph," Mr. Pakku said as the tone in the principal's office became calmer.

"Morning," Toph replied, but Zuko remained silent.

"Zuko, I'm here to take you to class once Jun is finished. Toph, Jun will be with you for English, then be with you two for the rest of the day. But she'll be with Zuko for history. Everything all right, Zuko?"

"I hate this not knowing," Zuko growled and Toph felt her heart go out to him. He sounded so angry, so sad and she felt the same on some level. They were just kids to the adults, to be watched over and protected, even if they were the ones that had held off the 'intruders' during the dance.

"Not knowing what?" Bato asked.

"This," Zuko growled, waving his hand towards Long Feng's door. "Jun didn't tell us anything about the plans for school, just that we'd be safe. Now, that…he usurped her authority and may have put Toph in danger."

"Hey, I'm not helpless here," Toph retorted.

"No, you're anything but," Zuko replied with a slight smile and pride in his tone, causing Toph to blush slightly.

It sounded as if both Bato and Pakku would have spoken, but the door opened and Jun exited, followed by Long Feng.

"Everything's in order," Jun said to them, though it sounded as if she turned to the principal to frown at him. "Pakku's going to take Zuko to class, and I'll go with Toph to Mr. Hu's English class and then be with both of you until fifth period. Then I'll go to Zhou's class with Zuko." Toph smiled as she heard a frown in Jun's tone when she talked about Mr. Zhou, knowing the two had history, but listened in as Jun finished. "Then I'll go with Toph to get to gym while Bato goes with Zuko to gym and then home. Ignore the men and us, since we are merely 'reviewers'. Got it?"

"Got it," Toph replied while she heard Zuko merely nod.

"Ok, let's go. Bato, you're with Pakku and Zuko. Come on, Toph."

The blind girl heard Zuko sigh and get up slowly, slinging his backpack to one shoulder as Toph reached down and grabbed her own backpack. She heard Zuko turn, as if he was looking back at her, and she just smiled at him, trying to reassure him that it would be ok. She heard Pakku leave first, then Zuko and Bato followed before she and Jun walked out of the office and in the opposite direction from the guys.

"So, what's up between you and Feng?" Toph asked once she was sure she and Jun were alone. It was still early, the halls empty, and Toph knew that the few students who had zero period were still in class while most of the students wouldn't show up for another fifteen or twenty minutes. Jun was silent for a bit, but then started talking, almost as if she was remembering as she spoke.

"You know your parents and I all went to school here, right?" Jun asked and Toph nodded. "Well, as big of a city as Gaoling is, it sure has a small town feel sometimes. Most of the teachers went to school here, or have some association with the city as kids. Long Feng was in my class, and he was one of those guys who was a nerd, and yet gave you the creeps sometimes."

Toph nodded, thinking about Hahn. The jerk wasn't a nerd, but he definitely gave her the creeps.

"Well, he hit on a few of my friends and me, but we all brushed him off. But then he started going after Jaz, and wouldn't leave her alone. So, I straightened him out. I was always a tough girl, like you, and he's resented me since then."

Toph smirked. "No wonder my parents are always so stiff and formal around him," she mused. "So, what did Feng tell the teachers?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Jun sighed as a group of students walked in. "One thing he was right about, things don't stay secret around here for long."

"Well, it's a good thing Sunshine and I keep our mouths shut," Toph said with a smirk and knew Jun was smiling too.

"Yeah, and my guys better or they'll be heading to back to training, and they all know that," Jun replied. "Well, here we are. I'm going to talk with Hu, he was a teacher in my time. You think you'll be ok just sitting here?"

"Yep, brought some entertainment," Toph said a she pulled out her iPod. Jun just chuckled and moved to the desk to talk with Toph's teacher. Toph put her earphones in and laid her head down on her folded arms, trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before class started. As she drifted off, she hoped Zuko's temper wouldn't explode with all the pressure they would be faced with by everyone on what had happened at the dance.

XXXXX

Zuko merely frowned as he saw several people come into the class as he sat in the back and tried to read. Everyone seemed startled to see him there, and he saw their eyes dart to the cast on his wrist as well as the scars and bruises that were still on his face from his fight with Ozai on Friday. The scarred teen merely glared at everyone that stared too long, and all looked away quickly as he returned to his book. Dr. Yugoda had been right, it was hard coping with the cast. But at least he had always had a little bit of dexterity in his left hand because of his martial arts training, and he could manage. Bato was behind him in the corner and Zuko was sure the agent was smirking whenever someone turned away hurriedly from Zuko's glares. Chuck came in and moved to sit next to Zuko and the scarred teen tried to keep his concentration on his book. Thankfully, the bell rang and Pakku started speaking before Chuck could talk.

"Everyone, I have an announcement. As some of you may have noticed, we have a new face in the class. Mr. Li back there along with his associates are reviewing the school as part of a state program. You are to ignore them all. They will not respond to any questions or talk," Pakku said with a slight nod to Bato.

"You may have also heard about the incident at the Homecoming dance," Pakku continued and Zuko looked over his book to see the reactions of the teacher and class. Many glanced back at him, but he kept his concentration on Pakku. "A pair of thieves broke into the school to try and steal computers. They broke into a part where two students were, and the students were able to hold the thieves off until the police showed up. One of the thieves was captured, but the other is at large. There are several detectives and police in regular dress around the campus, waiting to see if the other thief makes another move. If anyone sees anything suspicious, they are to report it to a teacher or one of these detectives immediately. With that said, we must move onto our discussion of Heart of Darkness."

Several more students glanced back at Zuko, but most became interested in the discussion as Zuko glared at them or Pakku called on them to answer a question. Zuko acted interested in the lecture, but saw Chuck lean towards him.

"Hey, Zuko," the big guy hissed. "You ok? We were all worried about you and Toph. What happened?"

Zuko frowned at the big guy and tried to ignore him, but Chuck persisted.

"You know Bee, Longshot and I will always back you in anything, you just need to let us know," the big guy whispered, though it came out as more of a low boom than a whisper.

"Mr. Little, do you have something to add to the discussion?" Mr. Pakku called and Zuko almost sighed in relief as Chuck blushed slightly and replied, "No sir."

"Very well, then, we'll move onto chapter four and remember, there will be a quiz on the first four chapters tomorrow," Mr. Pakku said and dove into the rest of the discussion with his usual enthusiasm for literature, making sure people paid attention to him and not to Zuko. The scarred teen focused on the discussion as much as he could, but his thoughts kept turning to what had happened Friday and how Jun had left him and Toph out of the loop. He knew why the FBI agent had done it, but he didn't like not knowing what was happening. And if he didn't know, he or someone could make a stupid move that would endanger all he cared about. The bell rang again, signaling the end of class and Zuko turned to Chuck who was looking at him, questioning him with his big brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, Pipsqueak, like I told Longshot; I can't tell you," he said in a low tone, hoping no one else would be able to listen in on the conversation.

The big guy just sighed, but then smiled. "At least you guys are ok," Chuck replied in his whisper. "But if you need anything, let me know."

Zuko just nodded and glanced at Bato as the agent stretched. Bato simply smiled at him and rubbed his shoulder and Zuko saw a burn mark at the shoulder when the agent's shirt moved as he rubbed it. Bato noticed his look and smiled as he walked up to Zuko.

"Yeah, I've got a scar like yours," Bato said in a low voice. "But I got mine from an accident. One of my first missions and we were backup. A drunk driver slammed into my car and caught fire."

"And he pulled three people out of the wreck, including the drunk, saving their lives, but nearly lost his arm in the process," Jun said, walking towards them from the door with Toph.

Zuko turned to frown at Jun and she questioned him with her expression, but he merely shrugged. "Later," he muttered as the next class started coming in. Jun nodded and Toph looked confused, but then Jun was hurrying them out of the class and to Biology. Once there, they got the same looks Zuko had received in English, though Aang was his normal cheerful self. Hahn turned to glare at Zuko in loathing, to which Zuko just glared back, but Dr. Yugoda quickly took charge of the class, reminding them to ignore Jun who she called Ms. Ling. The class moved smoothly, though when it was over, Zuko heard Hahn remark haughtily to one of his friends, "Well, if she was my girl, you know I wouldn't have put her in danger."

The scarred teen glared at Hahn as the junior passed him with a smirk and knew Toph was glaring at Hahn as well.

"And I wouldn't have gotten hurt," Hahn remarked, his blue eyes darting down to Zuko's cast.

Zuko nearly lunged for Hahn, but Toph placed a hand on his arm and Jun stepped up to Hahn.

"You certainly aren't the brightest of the bunch, are you," Jun said with a smirk. "I've heard this is your second time here, while everyone else does well. Is it because you don't pay attention, or is it because you show off your ego more than you study?"

Hahn looked startled to be facing Jun suddenly and gulped before he turned and hurried out. Jun turned to them and smiled. "Time for math," she said and Toph nodded, picking up her backpack to follow her cousin to Algebra 2. Zuko did the same, following Toph, but he felt the weight of guilt crash in on him. What Hahn had said was the truth, to some extent. He had put Toph in danger and was continuing to do so by going out with her. He had put her in danger when he had taken her to the greenhouse during the dance and then his father had seen her. Azula had fought her and could have hurt her.

"Hey Sunshine, you ok?" Toph asked him quietly as they walked through the hallways. "Forget the Dumbass. He deserves a beating. You want to gang up on him when this is all done?"

Zuko glanced at her through his hair shielding his scar and saw her grinning at him, though she looked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm ok," he replied.

Toph frowned for a second before smiling and punching his arm. "What happened happened. No beating yourself up over it, or I will beat you up. Got it?"

Zuko let a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. Toph was definitely his anchor, and the perfect remedy for his guilt. "Understood."

Toph just laughed lightly as they reached their next class and the pattern of the last two classes repeated until lunch. Zuko still felt the guilt weighing on him as they made their way to lunch, and he was also still frustrated with Jun for not informing he and Toph of all the plans, but knew he had to wait to address that issue. And waiting was not his strong point. Toph seemed to read his mood, and tried to lighten it on several occasions, and she did, but his pensive mood just returned. Just before they were to enter the cafeteria, Bato hurried to them and pulled Jun aside with a few quick words. Zuko tried to listen in, but didn't hear anything coherent as Jun started scowling.

"Fine, I'll take care of it," Jun said when Bato finished. "Watch them."

With that, she left and Bato turned to Zuko and Toph to find both frowning at him. "She'll explain later," he said before gesturing to the cafeteria door. "Now, I'm sure you're hungry and I heard they're serving pizza today."

Toph sighed and blew her bangs out of her face, but smiled at Zuko. "They'll explain, and I'm hungry. Coming, Sunshine?"

Zuko just sighed and followed her into the cafeteria, noticing everyone but their friends stopping and staring at them. The scarred teen scowled and followed Toph to the lunch line, trying to ignore the whispers and looks they were getting as Bato moved to talk with another agent Zuko had seen before. As they got their food, Zuko noticed Toph starting to frown.

"Stupid idiot," Toph growled after they paid for their food and started making their way to their table where Aang, Katara and Sokka were already eating.

"What?" Zuko asked as they sat down.

"The Dumbass!" Toph hissed, banging her tray onto the table and startling a few people near them, though their friends weren't affected at all. "He's making up stupid rumors! Argh, can I beat him up now?"

She turned to Zuko, with pleading eyes as if she was asking his permission and he smiled slightly.

"No, and I don't want Feng to suspend us for a fight, but we'll get him later, when he least expects it," Zuko told her quietly. He saw Toph sigh in resignation and risked a quick kiss on her cheek. She seemed surprised, as their friends did, for he rarely did anything, let alone a kiss, in public.

"Thanks," Toph said, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. "But what I said earlier was true. I'm starving and I know you are too." She smirked at him quickly before picking up her pizza and started eating. Zuko sighed, but smiled once more, happy that he could cheer her up as she had done for him so often and ate as well. Once he was finished, he glanced around the cafeteria discreetly. He noticed many people just minding their own business, though Hahn and Jet kept glancing at him; Hahn with loathing and Jet with thoughtfulness. He was surprised at Jet's look, but figured if it was important, he would find out the truth of it later.

Jun returned just before the bell rang, and seemed distant as she, Zuko and Sokka started walking to his history class. He wondered what her problem was as she seemed to get more agitated the closer they got to Zhou's class. There were already people there, so he and Sokka went to their usual seats in the back while Jun frowned at Zhou before heading to one of the back corners. Sokka was thankfully quiet, and Zuko just waited as the class quietly filled in. Many people still glanced back at him, but most ignored him as Zhou continued to watch him with a growing smirk.

Once the bell rang again, Zhou turned his smirk once to Jun before addressing the class. "As I'm sure you've all heard by now, we have some new faces on our school campus. But I have something else to add. If there is any suspicious behavior, from anyone, students should report it to the faculty, not these detectives. You never know exactly who you can trust. And, anyone with concerns about what happened at the dance should ask a faculty member. Now, onto the Spartans and Persia…"

Zuko noticed Sokka trying to catch his eye and Sokka was frowning as Zhou turned his back on them. Sokka's eyes darted towards Jun in the corner and the scarred teen turned and saw Jun scowling at Zhou. This just made Zuko's frown larger. Zhou had possibly endangered them more with just a few words and Zuko was determined to find out what was going on, just as soon as he could talk with Jun.

"Mr. Roku," Zhou said suddenly, catching Zuko's attention. "Tell me, why did the Spartans both succeed and fail at the battle of Thermoplyae."

Zuko frowned at Zhou, seeing the smug look on his teachers face since the man thought he had caught Zuko unaware, but the scarred teen simply answered evenly. "The Spartans knew the lay of the land and had the advantage. A few hundred men were able to hold off thousands, possibly millions according to the texts for a few days before a local betrayed his people and gave the Persians the information of a road to outflank the Spartans."

He almost smiled as he saw Zhou's smirk instantly fall into a frown at his correct answer and then Zhou was speaking again to the class. Sokka gave him a quick thumbs up, but they still had to endure a whole lecture by Zhou who called repeatedly on Zuko, but Zuko continued to give the right answers. Eventually the bell rang and Zuko and Sokka hurried out. Jun motioned for Zuko to wait and he did at the door as Sokka caught up with another guy and headed to gym.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jun asked Zhou in a low tone after the last of the class was gone. Zuko noticed she was in Zhou's face and the history teacher was scowling.

"Me? I'm doing my job and you have no right to just come in here and run things," Zhou replied.

"Yeah, right. I'm here to protect these kids, and I can't have you backstabbing my people. Lay off of Zuko, he's a good kid."

Zuko glanced back at Jun, frowning, but saw her turn and start heading his way. He moved out of the door and started to walk to gym with her, but they both heard Zhou's voice and stopped.

"He may be, but what about the rest of his family?" Zhou had asked quietly

Zuko started scowling, ready to yell at his teacher in anger, but Jun merely placed a hand on his back and pushed him forward. He turned to glare at Jun and saw her frowning.

"Ignore him, he's trying to get a rise out of you," Jun said.

"Yeah, well, he's not the only one," Zuko muttered darkly, moving away from Jun to walk separately.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jun asked in a stressed tone.

"Later," Zuko muttered as they saw a large group of students heading their way from the boy's locker room. He saw Bato at the door and hurried in, knowing Jun couldn't follow him. He noticed Bato follow him and found Sokka already changed as he opened his locker and grabbed his gym clothes, changing into them quickly. Sokka waited until he was dressed and then they both started walking quickly to the gym while Bato followed at a distance.

"Hey, you ok?" Sokka asked quietly.

"No," Zuko replied shortly and saw Sokka looking at him in concern. "Forget it, ok? I'll be fine.

Sokka merely shrugged as Zuko saw Jun talking with Mr. Jeong while another woman, tall with reddish brown hair leaned against the door leading to the girl's locker room while Toph talked with Angie. Toph seemed to have heard him and Sokka enter the gym, for she made her way over to them and smiled at Zuko before Jeong called the class into order for basketball. Zuko forgot his worries for a bit as he faced off against Sokka's and then Toph's teams in basketball, though Toph was only good at blocking people in basketball, not really knowing where the ball was most of the time. But, all too soon, the class was over and

Fong was driving them all back to Toph's house and Zuko's mood darkened.

XXXXX

Toph wondered about Zuko. He was too moody, even for him, as they drove back home from school. She had tried to lighten his mood throughout the day, and it had worked. He had even made her smile when all she wanted to do was beat Hahn up at lunch, but something had happened between lunch and gym and now he was moodier than when she had first met him, and that was saying a lot for her boyfriend. Her cousin wasn't in that great of a mood either and Toph wondered if Jun and Zuko had had an argument. Something was brooding and there was going to be an out-lash soon. Toph just had to make sure she controlled it, or at least make sure her two favorite people didn't make her choose between them. And, to top it all off, Toph felt a storm coming, of a different sort. When Fong finally stopped the car and opened her door for her, she felt her skin prickle as the temperature started dropping and the pressure was changing. She could also feel a wind starting to pick up from the north and her gut told her it was a big storm coming. Zuko was standing, facing Jun, but Toph took his hand and dragged him inside.

"Whatever it is, we can discuss it inside. There's a storm coming," she told him and heard him nod, though he seemed startled. "You too, Jun."

She heard her cousin nod as well and follow them both inside and Toph sighed as she felt the warmth of her house and smelled tea brewing.

"Ah, good afternoon Nephew, Toph," Iroh said in a hearty tone as Toph heard her mother and Zuko's mother turn towards them from the kitchen table. Iroh seemed to stop short in his welcoming and Toph figured it had to do with Zuko and Jun. Once everyone was in the large room, Toph turned to her cousin. "Ok, spill it. What don't we know and why are you both so agitated. You're both making my skin crawl worse than the coming storm with your bad moods."

She smiled wryly as she heard both Zuko and Jun turn towards her in shock before Zuko turned to Jun.

"You first," Zuko said in an irritated tone. "We can't be left out of the loop, and you kept us there, not informing us of what you told Long Feng. And what's up with you and Zhou? How does he know me?!"

Toph heard the anger and anguish in Zuko's tone as he got angrier and just laid a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him, though she knew she wasn't good at comforting like Katara was. It seemed to work, though, for his stance seemed to loosen and his muscles relaxed slightly under her hand.

"You've had this happen before, haven't you?" Jun simply asked and Toph waited, withdrawing her hand when she heard Zuko nod and then turn as if he was looking at his mother.

"Yes…when my mom was going to the nursing home. I…we were meeting her there and a big rig lost control and took out the car ahead of her. Its brakes were cut, and she was supposed to be in the car it did hit. I thought she was dead, I saw the accident."

Toph heard Zuko strain to get the words out and took his hand in hers. She was surprised, but happy when he squeezed her hand, pulling her a little closer to himself.

"I read about that, and Iroh threw a huge fit at Director for that change in plans, and the supposed leak. We found out they were using an old radio band and figured Ozai listened in on it," Jun replied sadly as Toph heard Ursa get up and move towards her and Zuko.

"It was a last minute change, but I'm glad I'm ok, and you as well," Ursa said as she hugged her son. Toph let go of Zuko, but stayed close as Zuko stood stiffly, hugging his mother, but turning back to Jun once Ursa let him go.

"You still didn't answer me," Zuko told Jun shortly as Toph heard Ursa move back to sit next to Jasmine, Iroh helping her into the chair.

Jun sighed and pulled a chair out to sink into it. "I didn't mean to, but Long Feng changed some things last minute, you heard me in his office. He was supposed to talk to me first about anything. Jeong and Pakku just told him a man was after you and is now going after Toph because of your association with each other and that you're in witness protection. Zhou…now that's a long story."

Toph heard Zuko cross his arms over his chest and a frown was in his tone when he spoke. "We have time," he said and Toph sighed and pulled a chair out, sinking into it. It was a long story, and she wasn't sure how much she herself did or did not know. She smiled at Iroh as she heard him come towards her and smelled a hot cup of tea before he handed it to her.

Jun sighed, but a smile was in her tone when she spoke. "Fine, Prince Pouty. Zhou and I went to college together. Same major, same classes, etc. No, Toph, he wasn't my boyfriend. Almost hooked up, glad we didn't now. Well, long story short, he failed the tests to get into the FBI, while I aced them. He blamed me for a lot of things, and went on to become a teacher. I know he's kept in contact with a few of his frat brothers who did make it in and they probably filled him in on Ozai. Since your old man went psycho, every agent has been after him. It's not just of what he did to you and your mother, though a lot of who knew Ursa were shocked about that, but because he's killed other agents. People he used to work with. Killing, we can see that; the stress gets to people. But killing an agent, one of your own, that's a death sentence for anyone, no matter who they are. Well, Zhou did some research this weekend and found out the truth of who you were. I think he's always known, or at least had an idea, but now he knows it was Ozai and Azula there."

"How could he have known?" Iroh asked in a calm voice.

"Mai told me about that," Zuko said in an agitated tone. "We need to stop using family names."

Toph was confused and was sure her mother was too, but everyone else seemed to understand. "Mind explaining?" she asked when everyone else remained silent.

"Roku Sage, Ursa's grandfather, used to be an agent, back when it was forming up," Jun said. "It's said he was one of the best, though many didn't trust him because he was Asian. He was best friends with another person, a politician who many didn't trust either."

"Sozin Agni, my grandfather," Iroh said sadly. "Their friendship fell apart because of Sozin's beliefs, though Roku always hoped they could mend things."

"Ok, so Roku's not your last name?" Toph asked Zuko and heard him shrug.

"No, Agni is. I told you we've changed names, but now only change our last names."

"Yeah, you did," Toph replied with a smile. "Just didn't put it together with so much info coming at me at the time."

"Well, Zhou doesn't like me, and is trying to backstab me any way he can and still not reveal anything," Jun sighed. "But there are three things I need to discuss with all of you."

Toph nodded, taking a sip of Iroh's excellent tea and heard everyone else nod, though Zuko remained standing.

"First, there's this weekend," Jun said and Toph's attention was peaked, fully riveted on her cousin at these words. She groaned in despair, remembering that it was Veteran's Day that week, and they would be having a three day weekend. And, because of that, her family went to one of their other houses on that weekend.

"I know Toph," Jun said in an understanding tone. "And with the big artic storm coming in, it will be worse for you. The Bei Fongs usually go to their house in the mountains for the holiday weekend every year. It's a nice, small, town and relies heavily on their ski resorts, so it's a seasonal town. Lao called me earlier and reminded me of the weekend, and that he had set up a meeting with a few prospective clients there Friday. Since Toph will be going, Iroh, I need you and your family to come too."

"That will be no problem," Iroh said cheerfully. "It's been a while since I've been in a mountain town."

"And the fresh air will do me some good," Ursa said gently.

Toph heard her cousin turn towards Zuko, but he remained silent. "Also, when I was pulled away at lunch, Jeong informed me of something he had been planning. A martial arts tournament. The date has been moved up from mid December to Thanksgiving weekend. He had hoped you both could be in it, and he wants you to help choose who else will go. There will be ten contestants with two backups."

"I won't fight," Zuko declared. "And I can't, not with this cast."

"Jeong thought you might say as much," Jun said smugly. "Which is why you'll be a backup. We talked it over, but he hopes you and Toph will still help decide who else will go."

Toph could almost feel the tension in the room escalate, but Jun seemed to take it in good stride. "Don't worry, you have two weeks until that. This weekend will be cold, and since the storm's going to hit tomorrow and last for 2 days, you two will stay here in the afternoons and don't forget to pack winter clothes."

"You said there were three things," Zuko stated.

"Yeah, I did," Jun said in her usual tone before she turned serious. "Your sister wants to talk to you. In fact, she says she won't say a word about anything, except to you. We can't use our usual methods since she's a minor, so you need to see her."

"No," Zuko said and Toph heard the anger in his voice as she heard him rake a hand through his hair.

"Maybe I could…" Ursa started, but Toph heard Jun shake her head.

"No, she said only Zuko, and no one else. Zuko, we need to find out if Ozai told her anything."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Zuko snapped before he started to pace. "I don't know, let me think about it," he said. "Mrs. Bei Fong, may I use the dojo?"

"It's all yours," Jasmine replied sweetly and Toph heard Zuko nod and then walk quickly towards the dojo. "Is he going to be all right?" Jasmine asked once Zuko was gone.

"He just needs to blow some steam off," Toph replied. "And I do too. Thanks, for filling us in," Toph told her cousin with a smile before she followed Zuko. She heard Ursa reassuring Jasmine that Zuko would be ok, and Jasmine saying that it was a lot of information for anyone to cope with in one day and the blind girl knew her mom understood. She heard a dull pounding as she neared the dojo and leaned against the doorframe as she heard Zuko hitting and kicking the punching bag. She knew he was aware of her, but he continued to pound on the punching bag for a while before he stopped after a powerful kick, breathing heavily.

"Thought you weren't supposed to hit anything," Toph said as she threw a towel at him.

"I'm not hitting with my right hand," Zuko replied as he wiped his face off. "Though I wish I could."

Toph just nodded and kicked off her shoes before moving onto the mat. "Come on, I need to blow off some steam too. Dumbass put me in almost as bad of a mood as you've got, and this coming storm is making my skin crawl."

She was surprised as Zuko laughed. "You could never be in a bad mood."

"Wanna bet?" Toph growled and Zuko just chuckled before sinking into his own stance on the mat, facing her.

"Ok, you could be, and you've been pissed at me before, but I have more issues," he said before he punched in towards her right shoulder.

"Yeah, you do," Toph smirked, blocking before jabbing in towards his stomach. Zuko remained silent for a bit as they continued to exchange blows, mostly blocking each other, but occasionally catching an incoming limb and trying to get a hold on the other, but neither could.

"So who do you think would be good for the tournament?" Toph asked after she got out of a hold.

"Sokka, Aang, Katara, Angie, Chuck, Bee, Longshot, and maybe Li," Zuko replied easily as he jabbed in and she caught his wrist, turning it. He ducked under her arm and grabbed it, turning her so that her back was to him.

"With me, that's nine, we need one more and one more backup," Toph said as she tried to get out of his grip and trip him at the same time.

"I'm not going to be a backup," Zuko growled.

"You probably won't even have to fight, but only the backups can get as close to the action as you'll have to be," Toph said as she struggled against him. His height was working for him and he kept shifting his feet as she tried to trip him. "Besides, Jun will need to watch both of us, and it'll be easier with you close to me" She finally got her wrist out of his hold and ducked low as he tried to grab her again, turning and tripping him in one easy movement. Toph smiled as she heard Zuko fall, but then he had jumped to his feet again and was kicking towards her head. "What do you think of Haru? Or some of the freshmen? They're getting better."

"Maybe Haru," Zuko said as he edged away from her jabs as she continued to jab towards his right side, knowing he couldn't block those effectively. "Not Hahn, he's probably the worst."

"No, the only way I'd pick him would be to fight him," Toph said with a smile.

"We'll ask the others," Zuko replied and suddenly he was within her range and had grabbed her arm and tripped her. They both fell and Toph tried to get a hold on him, but only managed to lock his right arm to his side, but he had her other arm and his weight held her down. She smelled his unique scent and smiled at him as she felt his breath on her face.

"Feel better?"

"Much," he replied before he kissed her. Toph melted into the kiss, thinking about how he tasted like cinnamon, and loving every second of it until she heard footsteps coming towards them down the hall. With regret, she stopped the kiss and Zuko eased off of her and was then helping her up.

"So, what are you going to do?" Toph asked.

"I guess I have to see her," Zuko sighed. "I hate it, but if it will help catch him, I'll talk to her."

Toph just nodded as Jun stopped in the doorway with Nyla.

"What's your decision?" the FBI agent asked in her sultry voice as if she already knew the answer.

"We're going to see her tomorrow," Zuko replied. "If Azula wants to tell me something, she can tell me."

With that, Zuko tossed a clean towel to Toph and they both cleaned up before heading to the family room to start on their homework and Toph noticed the temperature had dropped dramatically as her skin continued to crawl from the pressure change. A big storm was coming, but Toph wasn't sure if it was just weather, or something else.

A/N: Don't forget to review!


	18. Azula

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter and a huge thanks to NonFiction for being a beta for me. I am trying to write as much as possible, but you guys understand being busy and blocks. Thanks again for reading and don't forget to review! Especially all you who just have favs and alerts on this story.

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar

Chapter 18

Zuko sighed as he looked out the window at the world of grey. The day had not been as bad as it could have been, but it wasn't the best either. It was pouring rain outside and cars flew by them as they changed lanes to get onto another freeway. He turned to look around the car and saw Toph sitting next to him, curled up into a ball in her large green sweatshirt with her headphones disappearing under the hood as she played with her iPod. Knowing she was cold, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, rubbing her arm as he did so. She turned and smiled up at him, and that in it self made Zuko feel better for a second. Turning to look towards the front of the car, he saw Jun talking quietly on her cell phone in the passenger seat and frowning as Iroh drove the car. Zuko frowned as his uncle glanced back at him through the rear view mirror, but Iroh merely grinned before focusing on the road again. The scarred teen just sighed again and glanced out the window as the traffic slowed. There was another accident on the freeway due to the heavy rain. They had passed three and were only halfway to where Azula was being held. Trying to get his mind off of seeing his sister again, Zuko focused on what had happened that day.

It had started off cold and miserable and he had woken up at his usual time of six, though he had been groggy. He knew he was groggy because of the weather. Gray skies always seemed to drain him of energy. He had worked out as usual with Nyla being his silent companion before showering and getting breakfast as Iroh and Bato talked over a cup of tea.

"Well, this Zhou fellow better listen to Jun," Bato said as Zuko ate some cereal.

"Perhaps I can have a talk with him. I can be rather intimidating if the need arises," Iroh said and Zuko heard a smile in his uncle's tone. He glanced over and saw Iroh grinning a goofy grin in his direction and just scowled back before turning his attention back onto his breakfast as Bato merely laughed.

"That's what Jun says, though, according to her, I'm glad I haven't had the chance to experience it."

"Yes, the need doesn't arise as often as it used to," Iroh replied, still as jolly as ever, making Zuko frown.

Zuko finished his breakfast and got up to clean his bowl. When he turned around, he noticed a thermos sitting on the table and Iroh and Bato watching him expectantly.

"What?" he snapped out.

Bato frowned at his attitude, but Iroh merely sighed before smiling at his nephew again. "It's time for you to go, my nephew," Iroh stated and pushed the thermos towards Zuko. "Would you please take this to Jun? I'm afraid she's not a morning person and she loves this blend of tea."

"Sounds like it runs in the family," Zuko muttered under his breath as he grabbed the thermos and made his way to the entry, grabbing his backpack on the way. He waited as patiently as he could, hearing Bato saying his goodbyes to Iroh and then approaching Zuko.

"Here," Bato said and when Zuko turned to face the man, he saw the dark skinned FBI agent holding out one of Zuko's large black coats. "It's almost freezing out there."

Zuko just shrugged and grabbed the coat, pulling it on quickly and pulling the hood on. Bato pulled on his own coat and then opened the door, looking around for a moment and then stepping out. Sighing, Zuko stepped out behind him, frowning more as the temperature hit him. Bato was right, it was nearly freezing, but he noticed that he didn't have it so bad. Danny was standing out in the rain, his breath making a mist and he was visibly shivering as he held an umbrella over Nyla as the dog sniffed around.

"Come on," Bato said and Zuko followed the man across the street and they both stopped under the porch to shake the water off their coats. Fong opened the door before either could knock and Zuko followed Bato to the kitchen. "Wait here," he said and Zuko just shrugged.

Bato frowned, but left and Zuko just sighed. He knew his bad mood would be questioned, but he had a good reason for it. Seeing his sister was never a pleasant experience and seeing her so soon after she and his father had attacked him was going to be worse. Glancing out the window at the grey day, he knew the weather wasn't helping his mood either.

"Mornin," he heard behind him and turned to see Toph making her way towards him and rubbing her eyes. He didn't know why she would have to rub her eyes, but she did and that in itself made him smile a little. He had never realized she would be so cute first thing in the morning.

"Morning," he replied and smiled at how Toph scowled at him, almost like she was too tired to fight back. He knew she wasn't a morning person and the way she fell into one of the chairs just confirmed it.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing towards the thermos he had placed on the table.

"It's for Jun, from my uncle," Zuko replied, but then felt a smile tug at his mouth as he thought about the reason Iroh had sent it over. "Where are your cups?"

Toph was frowning, but looked surprised at the question. "Second cabinet, first shelf," she replied, pointing at the cabinet she was talking about. Zuko nodded and opened the cabinet, finding glasses of all types and grabbed two mugs before turning back to Toph. He noticed that she was still frowning, but that she was also covered head to toe. She was wearing tight jeans, but with thick boots and he could see a long sleeved shirt peaking out at her wrists from under a heavy green sweatshirt and she even had a green beanie on her head. Her long black hair was coming out at her neck and he saw that it was tucked into her sweatshirt. Zuko almost laughed as he gazed upon her. She was curled up on the chair, pulling her knees to her as if she was cold.

"Here," he said as he set the mugs down and opened the thermos, pouring out some of the liquid into the two mugs, making almost a full mug for Toph and just a little for himself. He held out the mug for Toph and noticed she inhaled deeply before she stopped frowning and took the mug from him. He watched her wrap her petite hands around the mug, seeming to soak in the heat from the tea and took a deep breath over the mug.

"What is it?" she asked.

"A special blend of tea my uncle makes," Zuko remarked, picking up his own mug. "He claims it's more powerful than coffee and tastes better too." He took a sip and sighed as the heat warmed him from the inside. Toph seemed emboldened by him drinking and took a sip. She hastily moved the mug away from her and held it at arm's length.

"It's hot!" she exclaimed.

"Of course," Zuko remarked and smiled more as Toph scowled at him.

"I mean really hot," she replied. "How can you drink it?"

"Practice," he replied as he sat down next to her and got an idea. He leaned over and blew on her mug, noticing the steam moving away and that Toph was startled by his actions. He then turned to her and kissed her softly. "A blow to cool it down," he said and kissed her again. "And a kiss to make it feel better."

He drew back and saw Toph smiling, almost in a dreamy way. "It doesn't feel better yet," she said in a low tone and leaned forward, meeting him in a kiss. He set his mug down as he continued to kiss her, but then Toph drew away with a smirk when he was about to go further.

"Don't get too carried away," he heard Jun say behind him in a tired voice.

Zuko frowned and pulled away to see Jun enter the kitchen and stumble towards the cabinet. She pulled a mug out and handed it to Zuko.

"I smell Iroh's brew," she said and Zuko sighed before he grabbed the mug she was holding out and poured the rest of the tea left in the thermos into the mug. Jun snatched it out of his hand just as he finished pouring. The scarred teen turned to scowl at Jun, but she was already drinking the tea and sighing as the effects hit her. Glancing back at Toph, he saw her sipping her tea with a slight smile and he just shook his head and finished his own tea before he took the mug to the sink.

"Just leave it there," Jun said when he started looking around for soap and a sponge. "Fong can get it when he gets back. We need to leave."

"Already?" Toph asked and when Zuko turned back, he saw her pouting out her lower lip.

"Yep. Come on, Squirt. Time for school," Jun said with a smirk before she drained the last of the tea from her mug and picked up the thermos. She tossed it at Zuko and he frowned as he caught it, barely remembering to catch it with his left hand. Toph sighed loudly and drank the last of her tea before following her cousin out to the garage and Zuko followed the two. He hoped the day wouldn't be as bad as the day before, but he still needed to prepare himself for his visit with Azula. And if Zhou was as irritating as the day before, that feat would be nearly impossible. After sliding in next to Toph, he just gazed out the window as Fong drove them to school. It was going to be a cold, wet, miserable day and the gloominess of the day was already dragging his spirits down. He ignored Jun and Fong talking and Toph had to poke him in the side to realize Jun was asking him a question.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, 'How do you want to go about meeting with your sister?'" Jun replied, glancing back over her shoulder at him. He saw that her dark eyes were narrowed at him, but she had a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Interrogation room? Others there? Recording devices?"

Zuko merely frowned as he thought about it. "Probably a room, and definitely record it, but you would do that anyways." He saw Jun's smile grow as Toph just shifted so she could rest her head on Zuko's shoulder, seeming to try and catch a little more sleep. "But knowing my sister, she'll only talk to me if I'm alone. And she knows she'll be recorded."

Jun just nodded. "Well, we're heading there straight after school. What about Toph? I need to be with both of you. How about Toph and I wait in the recoding room and you go in. Bato will be right outside in case you need him."

Zuko merely nodded. He didn't really want to face his sister, and yet, at the same time, he did. He wanted answers. Why did she still believe in their father? Why attack him constantly? Why was she just so…crazy? He put those thoughts away for later as Fong slowed the car and stopped outside of school. The servant got out and pulled out an umbrella, holding it as Jun and Zuko opened the passenger side doors. The scarred teen heard Toph mumble something under her breath as he moved, but he just smiled. It was kind of cute how she grumbled and pouted when she didn't get enough sleep, but they would just have to make due for the time being.

"We're not here as early as yesterday," Zuko muttered to her as Jun took the umbrella and hurried the two teens inside.

"Feels earlier," Toph muttered. "But I think that drink is starting to kick in. What's in it?"

"Don't know," Zuko replied, pulling up his hood as the wind started to blow the rain sideways. "I just know it has caffeine."

"Sounds like a winner, bring some more tomorrow," Toph sighed as they stepped inside. They found Bato waiting for them and he started walking Toph to her English class as Jun turned to Zuko.

"We're switching it up," she said as she motioned towards a corner of the hall. Zuko noticed a tall red head walk their way out of the shadows and that though she was pretty, she was very tall with large feet, and looked to be about thirty with some heavy eye makeup. "This is Sue Kyoshi," Jun said, introducing the agent. "You probably saw her in gym yesterday. She'll be with you for Biology, Math, and Chemistry. I have a matter I need to take care of during that time. Now, off to English."

Sue nodded to Zuko and he nodded back, feeling ok with the transition and glad that Jun wasn't keeping him out of the loop.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked Jun as they walked.

"Hmm?" she replied, looking over at him. "Oh, check on the pups, interrogate Zhou. That kind of stuff."

"Sounds like fun, wish I could be there," Zuko replied evenly and almost smiled as Jun grinned at him as they entered Mr. Pakku's English class.

"Yeah," Jun whispered as she walked past him as he sat down. "But you get the fun of questioning your sister."

Zuko just frowned, glad Jun couldn't see it and pulled out his notes to study for the quiz as other students started trickling in.

"Here, listen to this," Toph said, drawing Zuko out of remembering what had happened that morning. He looked over at his girlfriend and saw her holding one of her headphones towards him. He shrugged and took it and felt his face lighten as he listened to a girl singing about burning a picture.

"Who is this?" Zuko asked.

"Taylor Swift," Toph replied, snuggling closer into his side, trying to mold herself to him with a seatbelt still on. "She's country, but some of her stuff is actually really good."

He just smiled and rubbed Toph's arm more before he turned to stare out the window again as the song ended and another started. He recognized it as Evanescance; "Bring me to life", and his thoughts turned back to that day.

The day had gone more smoothly and the transition of Jun to the Kyoshi girl was all right. The new FBI agent was tall and regal looking, but she was quiet and just stood back in the corner. Most everyone ignored Zuko and Toph throughout the classes and even Hahn left them alone. At lunch, Zuko noticed Jun was back and talking with Pakku and Jeong as they drank what looked like coffee, but knowing Jun, it could have been his uncle's tea. The scarred teen finished his food quickly and just observed quietly as Toph told their friends about the tournament and gave several menacing reminders to keep it quiet until Mr. Jeong told the club.

"We need ten and two backups, but I don't want any competition for those spots until it's needed," Toph said. "So no blowing your airhole," she said, turning to glare at Aang.

"You won't hear it from me," Aang said, swallowing a lump in his throat. Zuko merely let a corner of his mouth rise in a smile at that, and knew he would have to ask Toph if there was a story behind that later.

"Ok, so Bee, Pipsqueak, Longshot, Angie, you three plus me and maybe Li with Sunshine here as backup," Toph said, counting off the people on her fingers. "That leaves one more spot and a backup. Can you guys think of anyone?"

Zuko turned and looked around the cafeteria as the group started flinging names back and forth, most being shot down by Toph. He saw Smellerbee, Pipsqueak and Jet talking very animatedly at their table on the other side with Longshot nodding occasionally. Jet turned and met Zuko's eyes and seemed surprised that Zuko had been watching him. Zuko saw Longshot push Jet slightly and Jet turned to frown at the quiet teen before he sighed and nodded, getting up and started making his way towards Zuko. The scarred teen stayed where he was, letting Jet make the move and when Jet was about ten yards from him, the bell rang and everyone got up to hurry towards their classes.

"Coming?" Sokka said, suddenly standing next to Zuko.

"I'll be right there," Zuko replied and saw Sokka shrug as Toph turned towards him, seeming to search his face with her blind eyes. "Trust me," he whispered to Toph and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'll see you in gym."

Toph just sighed and nodded, leaning over to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Just don't beat him up, that's my job," she whispered back and as she drew back and got up, Zuko saw her grinning.

"I won't," he said and saw her nod as Bato met her at the door and started walking with her to her history class. He noticed Jun still leaning against the wall, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he reached down and grabbed his backpack. When he stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he found Jet a few feet away from him.

"Yes?' he asked, frowning as Jet just stared at him. The brown eyed boy had a blank expression on his face and Zuko was getting impatient with the silence. "Fine, see ya," Zuko nearly growled and turned to leave, starting to head towards the door.

"I'm sorry," Jet stated and Zuko stopped. He turned back and looked at the guy over his shoulder. Jet's brow was furrowed and he seemed to be trying to find the right words. Behind him, Zuko saw Jun, ready for anything. Zuko shook his head slightly, trying to indicate Jet wasn't a threat, and Jet met his eyes again at that motion.

"Look, I know there's been stuff between us, but I heard about homecoming. And, well, Bee and Longshot and Chuck all stick up for you," Jet stated. "I'm over Katara and I know you're not interested in her. What I'm trying to say is that I want to come to the club tomorrow."

"I don't have any say in the matter," Zuko replied. "Ask Mr. Jeong." With that, he turned to leave.

"I did," Jet called out when Zuko was almost to the door. "He said I had to resolve my issue with you."

Zuko stopped and sighed. Why was all of this happening to him right now? He already had enough on his plate.

"Fine," Zuko stated. "I don't care. Gotta go, I'm late." He started stalking off and was halfway to Zhou's class when he heard Jun catch up with him.

"Nice one," Jun said quietly as they hurried through the nearly empty halls.

Zuko just frowned at her and quickened his pace as he saw a clock in the hallway. He only had a minute to get to Zhou's class and he knew he didn't want to be late. Sokka had told him there were horrible consequences for being late, though the scarred teen had never witnessed it since he had arrived at Avatar High.

"He better not get you in trouble though," Jun said from behind Zuko as she turned the corner behind him. He saw Zhou's class with another senior hurrying into it and quickened his pace, so that he was almost jogging. Zuko slowed down enough so that he wasn't running into the class and entered just before the bell rang. He saw Zhou scowling at him as he walked back to his seat, but knew the teacher couldn't reprimand him, for he was on time.

"Very well," Zhou said curtly. "Now, for an overview of what has been discussed. We will be having a test Friday and then move on after that."

The class groaned and Jun walked in leisurely at that moment, smirking at Zhou to which he just frowned before turning to the chalkboard as he wrote some notes for that day. Jun smiled at Zuko as she passed him on her way to the back, and he just frowned, hoping the day would be better than the day before. It was, but only barely, for Zhou didn't call on Zuko nearly as much, and no matter what question Zhou threw at him, Zuko answered correctly. When the class ended, Zhou called out.

"Ms Ling, I need a word with you."

Zuko glanced at Jun and saw her sigh, but she made a wait motion with her hand towards him and he nodded, taking his time in gathering his things as the class emptied quickly. He and Sokka walked out, but Zuko stopped outside the class.

"Go on, I need to wait," he told the blue eyed senior quietly. Sokka just shrugged.

"I might as well wait too," he said and leaned against the wall. Zuko just nodded and leaned against the wall, next to Sokka, waiting, though he didn't hear what Jun and Zhou were saying this time, just the murmur of their voices.

"So what did Jet say?" Sokka asked.

"So what did Jet say?" Toph asked, bringing Zuko back to his surroundings as they finally passed the sixth accident, a four car pile up. Zuko felt sorry for the people and the cops standing out in the rain, but was relieved as it looked like no one was really hurt. Just a major fender bender mess. Toph laid her hand on his cast and he turned to smile at her.

"He just said he was sorry and he wants to come to the club," Zuko replied.

Toph's face lit up in surprise before she narrowed her eyes at him. "And your answer?"

"I told him fine. I don't care, and besides; It's your turn to teach someone a lesson."

"Damn straight," Toph replied with a smirk which made Zuko smile back. She sighed and started frowning and Zuko wondered what she was thinking about.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked her quietly.

"I'm bored," she sighed and blew her bangs out of her face.

Zuko just nodded. The ride was taking longer than it should have, but with the rain and the accidents, that was to be expected.

"What are you going to do?" Toph asked.

"Huh?" Zuko replied. He wasn't sure if Toph was talking about Jet, Zhou, or the person they were going to see.

"Your sister," Toph replied, turning so that she was meeting him eye to eye. He didn't know how she did that, but it made him feel better.

"I don't know," he sighed. "She's just so…frustrating!"

"I thought you would say something else," Toph said with a smirk.

"I would, but Uncle wouldn't be happy about that," Zuko replied to which Toph laughed lightly. Her hand moved from his cast to his face and Zuko tensed as it wandered around, touching him softly as she moved from his scar to his forehead and then back to his cheek.

"Relax, Sunshine. You'll be great. And Jun and I will be there for backup," Toph said with a smile.

Zuko just sighed again. He didn't want his sister to see Toph. She would know it was serious between them and the fact that Toph had beat Azula at homecoming was another factor that Zuko did not want to think about. The consequence of what Azula would do to Toph, the only one Zuko knew to beat Azula in a sparring match was not something he wanted to think about. And as crazy as his sister was, Zuko wasn't sure if Azula would mock or try to kill Toph. He was betting on the latter, and didn't want to be in that situation.

Suddenly Toph's hand moved to the back of his neck and she pulled him down towards her to a kiss. He kissed her, softly and was surprised at how slow she was kissing him, but went along with it, letting his mind be at ease as he focused on Toph. A cough from up front started getting louder and Zuko pulled away from his girlfriend, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He saw Toph's cheeks flushed and sent a quick glare towards the front seat where he saw Jun smirking at them.

"We're almost there," Jun said and turned back to look forward. Zuko glanced at Toph and saw her sigh and he kissed her quickly, catching her off guard.

"I'll be fine," he whispered to Toph and saw her sigh. She just smiled again and laid her head on his shoulder as he looked forward. Through the rain, he saw his uncle pull up to a very intimidating gate. The gate was made of steel bars with barbed wire above it, and looked like it used to be a gate to a maximum security prison. A small house stood at the gate's entrance and Zuko noticed there were two men inside, though only one leaned out towards the car as Iroh stopped and rolled the window down just enough to speak to the man.

"Jun Shirshu, Iroh and Zuko Agni and a guest to see someone," Iroh stated and Zuko tensed as he heard his last name.

"Of course, sir, ma'am," the guard said and when he moved back to the guard house, Zuko saw a gun under the man's coat and the other guard relaxing and what looked like an M16 resting next to the man's leg. The gate opened, just enough for the car to get through and Iroh pulled in. Toph's hand moved back to his cast and she joined her hand with his, giving him a reassuring squeeze.

Zuko waited in silence as Jun directed Iroh to park in a parking structure and close to the elevators. The scarred teen also noticed a few agents standing around, looking outwards and knew Jun was playing it safe. They were in the middle of an FBI holding facility, but there was still a chance Ozai could attack them. Jun led the way out and Zuko followed, still holding Toph's hand with his uncle bringing up the rear. As they walked, Zuko studied the place and found it was like all the other government buildings he had been in. The walls were off white and the floors gray and everything was clean and had a purpose. There were hardly any people there and he saw Bato coming down the hall towards them as Jun suddenly opened one of the doors on their left and went in. The rest followed her and Zuko was surprised to find Captain Piandoa there who smiled at them and shook Jun and then Iroh's hand.

"Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this, Agent Shirshu," Piandoa said to Jun and the FBI agent merely nodded.

"You and your men have helped us so far, it's only fair to involve you," Jun replied before turning back to Zuko. "We're ready whenever you are."

He nodded and turned towards the glass wall as the lights came on in the adjacent room and he saw Azula being carried into the room by two large men. She sneered at the men when they set her down and locked her handcuffs to the table before they left. As soon as they were gone, Azula' face changed to a bored expression and she sat patiently, as if there was nothing better in the world than to inspect her fingernails.

"Be careful," Jun said, and Zuko was surprised to find her next to him. "She's gotten out of three pairs of cuffs already and knocked out a large agent."

Zuko turned and looked into Jun's dark eyes and felt a frown take over his face.

"She's her father's daughter. What else would you expect?" With that, he turned and walked out of the room and found Bato waiting outside the next door down, with the two large agents waiting there, looking like they were ready for anything. He stopped outside the door and took a deep breath, noticing the two large guys looking at each other and Bato as if they didn't believe that he would be crazy enough to go in there alone.

"Ready?" Bato asked gently and Zuko met the man eye to eye and nodded.

"Now or never," he growled and opened the door, walking into the room to talk to his sister.

XXXXX

Toph waited with Iroh, Jun and Piando as Zuko left and she wondered what Zuko had been thinking about as he left. His last words to Jun had sent a chill down Toph's spine, but she knew they were true. Also, he had been distant throughout the day, though he had occasionally come out if his shell whenever she pestered him. She thought the exclaiming over how hot the tea had been and kissing him in the car had been good moves on her part to improve his attitude, and it had for a few moments until they were brought back to reality. She heard Jun turning on machines and suddenly heard Azula's breathing as she sighed and the sound came of the girl picking something out of her nails.

"He's not really going to go in there alone, is he?" Piandoa asked and Toph heard Iroh sigh heavily, sounding tired.

"He must. He knows it and he knew he would have to truly face her someday," Iroh answered.

"That's insane, someone should be there with him," Piandoa stated.

"We are," Toph said, and knew the captain was surprised by her voice. She was surprised she was so calm as well. "We're here, being the support he needs. Now hush, he's going in."

A door opened and from the sound coming through the speaker, Toph knew Azula was sitting up straighter.

"Why, hello Zuzu," Azula said smugly and Toph thought the girl sounded a little surprised, but also pleased as Toph heard Zuko enter the room. "Come to get your dear sister out of this terrible place?"

"You know why I'm here," Zuko stated calmly, though Toph heard the anger and agitation in his voice that she had heard when she had first met him and especially whenever he talked about his father.

"Ah yes, you got my message," Azula said and Toph heard nothing but smugness in the girl's tone. Zuko remained silent and when Azula spoke again, there was some frustration in it. "So, how are you doing? I see some new war wounds. Did your little girlfriend do that?"

"No, but I did far more to the one who did," Zuko gritted out and it sounded like Azula stopped inspecting her nails in surprise. Toph knew the girl was a little shocked to hear that, but also that Zuko was starting to lose his limited patience with his sister. Silence reigned and it sounded like Azula was moving her head around, maybe trying to get a better look at her brother.

"If you're not going to tell me anything," Zuko stated finally. "I'm going to leave." It sounded like he turned and took a step towards the door when Azula spoke softly.

"So that's the girl you left Mai for," Azula said in a superior tone. "She's not much to look at. Tiny little thing. What, did she lose a bet to go out with you?"

Toph heard Zuko stop and it also sounded like he was tightening his hands into fists, trying to control himself. When he spoke, she heard the anger underlying his tone, and how thin his patience was getting.

"She beat you, didn't she?"

"Luck," Azula spat before she turned smug again. "She must be blind to ever consider going out with you. The way you're always covering yourself and that awful scar. How does she feel about that?"

"She doesn't care, and if you're not going to say anything important, I'm gone," Zuko gritted out and Toph heard him make a step towards the door again. He had almost reached it when Azula spoke again.

"Why couldn't you just leave him alone?" Azula asked with a slight sneer to her tone, though she seemed to be getting worried. Toph thought it might be because she hadn't gotten a reaction out of Zuko. "He only wanted the best for us. For me. He told me he was trying to get me into a special school, but Mom wouldn't allow it. That was why they were arguing and then an accident happened. Why the lies, Zuzu? Wh…?"

"Shut up!" Zuko yelled, and Toph almost jumped as he slammed his hands onto the table. "He almost killed us. He _meant_ to kill us! He tortured her for years and I was the only one who saw it! He beat her and hit her, again and again, even when she begged for him to stop!" Toph heard Zuko pouring out all his anger into his words, and also the sound as if he was holding back a sob reached her and she stepped forward, towards the glass, trying to be there for him as he continued to shout at his sister. "He did this to me for standing up to him!" Zuko yelled, moving his left hand and Toph was sure he was pointing at his scar. "And he said he won't stop until I have suffered and am dead! Don't you get it?! He's just using you! He's never cared about you or about anyone but himself! And when his little perfect world of control came crashing down, he started destroying everyone!"

Toph placed her hand on the glass separating her and Zuko as she heard her boyfriend breathing heavily as Azula seemed frozen. Toph wondered if Azula didn't expect the reaction she was getting, but almost immediately, Azula's breathing changed to normal and from the sounds coming through the speaker, Toph knew the girl had relaxed again. Zuko moved and Toph thought he had moved his head to look towards the glass by the sound of his hair moving against his shirt before he turned back towards his sister.

"You were there," Zuko said in a much calmer voice as he stood up straight. "You heard him Friday when he said Mom and I were supposed to die that night. If you want to follow a homicidal maniac, that's your choice. But I intend to live and protect my family."

Toph listened as Zuko turned and started walking towards the door. Azula spoke out as she heard him touching the doorknob and he stopped.

"Oh, so I'm not family anymore?" Azula asked in a smug voice. Toph heard Zuko take a deep breath and turn his head towards his sister.

"I wish you were, but as long as you side with him, you aren't. Not anymore. Sometimes I don't know why I even protected you from him." With that said, Zuko opened the door and stalked out, slamming it shut behind him. As much as Toph wanted to be there for Zuko, she felt like she needed to stay where she was, listening to Azula. She heard Jun move to turn something off.

"No, leave it on, it's not over," Toph stated and heard Piandoa and Iroh turn to her in surprise, but Jun simply nodded and Toph concentrated on Azula's breathing. The girl's breathing was getting faster, and it sounded like she was seething before she took a deep breath.

"He doesn't know the truth," she heard Azula mutter to herself. "He doesn't, he's just making it up." Silence came again and Toph heard more muttering, but couldn't make it out.

"Turn it up," she told Jun and the volume increased and Toph heard Azula's fingers fidgeting slightly and the girl's breath becoming ragged.

"But if he's telling the truth…no, stop it," Azula whispered to herself. "Daddy said…but Zuko's not good at lying. He couldn't have gotten that good. There's got to be a logical explanation." Toph listened more intently as Azula's breathing and fidgeting became spontaneous. Sometimes quick and heavy with lots of fidgeting and then calm and collected. When she spoke again, Toph jumped since it was so loud, though she knew it was the girl's normal speaking voice. Jun must have seen her jump, because the volume was turned down again.

"I want to talk to my brother again," Azula stated and then silence came as she waited. "I know someone can hear me! I want to speak to Zuko!"

Toph heard Iroh move towards the door and leave, knowing he was telling Zuko about Azula's demands. Silence reigned again in the room, though Toph could hear Azula start to fidget again, though she tried to keep it under control. Just when the girl was about to yell again, Toph heard the door open and Zuko walked in.

"Anything better to say this time?" he asked in a calm, collected tone and Toph felt proud of her boyfriend for standing up to his sister so well.

Azula sighed and Toph knew the girl was trying to act calm and aloof, but her slight fidgeting was giving her away to Toph.

"Say you are right," Azula said slowly and carefully, as if trying to find out if Zuko was lying. "When did you ever protect me?"

"Where is he? What is he planning?" Zuko replied.

Toph heard Azula shrug. "I don't know. We were staying at an abandoned shop in an old mall. It was an old pastry shop. All I knew is that he was going to teach you a lesson and then we would be free to go off together and find a new life. No more schools with nuts, and no more running."

"You put yourself there," Toph heard Zuko mutter under his breath before he spoke in a louder, calmer tone. "The day before everything went crazy, you were showing him your report card. Remember?"

"Yeah, so what of it?" Azula replied, sounding slightly defensive.

"He asked if you thought you were better than him. I saw the anger in his eyes, the same anger he always showed me and Mom." Toph heard Azula start fidgeting again, just slightly, and knew that the girl knew the truth of Zuko's words. "I pulled you away, ready to be between you and him. And then Mom was there. She always made sure she took the brunt of his anger. Not us."

"Well you didn't help much with those fights and your poor grades," Azula scoffed.

"That's because I had found out what he was doing to her. I wanted to stand up for myself. I finally did, and all he has wanted to do since then was kill me. Anything else you think I should know?"

Toph waited and heard Zuko fidget slightly as Azula remained silent. Zuko finally let out a low sigh and turned towards the door. "Tell them if you remember anything else. Goodbye Azula."

Toph heard Zuko walk back to the door and start to open it.

"He's patient," Azula said in a low tone and Zuko stopped. Her tone turned smug as she turned to her brother. "But not as patient as he used to be."

Zuko seemed to wait, but nothing else came and he exited the room. Toph turned towards her cousin and nodded. She just seemed to know Azula was done. The girl had some things to think over, and Zuko did as well. Toph heard the door to their room open and heard her boyfriend enter and smiled at him, trying to give him reassurance he was ok. That no matter what, he had done the right thing. He sighed and walked straight towards her, pulling her into a hug. Toph just hugged him back, just being there for him, stable as a rock. He didn't speak, and she just heard him breathing evenly as she held onto him, but she knew he just needed comfort in something stable. She couldn't fathom the emotions he was going through at that moment, and frankly, she didn't care. She would just be there for him.

"We'll wait to go until she's locked up again," Jun said softly. "Just in case."

Toph heard Iroh and Piandoa nod and then the adults were walking towards Toph and Zuko, but stayed back, obviously knowing Zuko just needed a moment.

"Find out anything important?" Zuko asked slightly and Toph knew he was directing the question at her.

"She's not really sure who to believe at this point," Toph replied. "She knows you're not good at lying."

"But she believes in him too much," Zuko sighed, just holding Toph and laid his head against hers.

"You gave her something else to think about," Jun stated.

"And I'm proud of you, we all are," Iroh said, laying his hand on Zuko's shoulder by the sound of it.

Toph merely felt Zuko nod, and knew he was grateful for their support. Iroh drew back and Toph heard the adults talking quietly in the corner as they waited.

"She was just trying to get a rise out of you," Toph whispered to him.

"I know, and it worked," Zuko sighed.

Toph smiled. "But not the way she thought it would." She reached up and laid a hand on his scar and felt him flinch slightly. "And you're right, I don't care."

Zuko pulled back, away from her touch, and though she was slightly saddened by that, he more than made up for it when he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"They seem to be doing that a lot more," Jun said dryly and Toph smiled as Zuko pulled away from her and turn towards her cousin, probably glaring at Jun.

"They're young, let them be," Iroh said with a smile in his tone and Toph almost laughed as she heard Zuko growl and mutter under his breath.

"Well, enough of that, she's locked up and it's time to get you two home," Jun said as the door opened and Toph heard Bato come in. "We still have a lot to look forward to this week."

Zuko sighed and Toph did as well. Jun was right, it was only Tuesday and though she was looking forward to the club meeting the next day, she was dreading the upcoming weekend. But at least Zuko would be there and she wouldn't be bored as she kept him from thinking about his sister and father.


	19. Changing Moods

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and being patient. Wow, it's almost been a year since I started this story and a crazy year at that. More to come, not to worry, I just have to get it out of my head and onto the computer. A huge thanks to my dear friend, NonFiction for beta-ing this for me and giving me inspiration. You guys really need to read Redemption. It's great, better than I could ever hope to write. So, please read, let me know what you think and enjoy. Hopefully I'll love your reviews so much that I'll write the next chapter within a week or two. Hey, I can dream, can't I?

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar.

Chapter 19

Toph sighed as she leaned against Zuko on her couch. They were watching and listening to an older movie, but she really wasn't paying attention to it. It was getting late, but the storm had worsened and she could hear her mom talking with Iroh and Ursa in the kitchen and smelled hot tea as the adults waited for the storm to lessen. She knew that her cousin and Fong came out occasionally to check on them and offer them dessert, but she always declined and Zuko seamed to be far away and unresponsive. Toph knew he had a lot on his mind considering they had visited his sister four hours earlier, but he was still quiet, just an arm wrapped around her shoulder as they watched the movie. Zuko suddenly shifted and wrapped his arms around her waist, turning her back towards him as he moved to a more comfortable position on the couch.

"You ok?" Toph asked as she leaned back against Zuko, feeling how warm he was, even through her thick, long sleeved shirt.

"You really don't care?" he asked in a low tone and she heard a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"About what?" Toph replied, starting to smirk. She knew she needed him to lighten up; he was way too somber, even for him. "Your attitude? Seen it, blew it off. Your temper? Been worse myself."

She heard him chuckle and leaned back so that her head was resting on his shoulder. She reached her left arm back and felt his whole body tense as she touched the left side of his face. "This?" she asked softly as she ran her fingers around his cheek to his ear before she started playing with his hair. "Why would I care about something I can't see or really feel? It's just a scar, just like these," she said as she moved her hand to a small cut at his temple and then dropped her hand to lay on his cast on his wrist. Toph then held up her own arm, hoping she was showing him the small burn on her wrist. "Besides, I have my own scars."

She felt him relax, but as he did so, her back started aching as it bent with his. Toph sat up and turned to him with a wry grin. "Lay down," she said and felt her grin widen as Zuko stayed where he was, his breathing becoming harder as if he had frozen or was thinking deeply. "It'll be more comfortable. Or…I can just use you as a pillow since I'm going to lie down."

She didn't hear a response, but then heard him move and felt his legs brush against her as he readjusted. Once she was sure he wasn't going to move anymore, Toph reached back and felt his stomach and grinned before she lay back down, snuggling her back closer to him and laid her head down on his arm.

"Wait," he said and she lifted her head as he reached for something. "Ok, now lay back down," Zuko said and Toph was pleasantly surprised to find a pillow on his arm and that it was indeed much more comfortable. Toph relaxed as she only kind of listened to the movie and rain pelting the windows and roof and instead focused on Zuko as his breathing evened out and she almost felt his heart beat against her back.

"You ok?" Toph asked again, knowing he was still brooding.

"I'm better now," Zuko replied and Toph frowned at how even his tone was and that he still seemed distant.

"No, you're not, not really," she stated and felt Zuko tense behind her. He remained silent and Toph waited a few minutes until he spoke again.

"I don't understand them," he finally whispered and Toph felt so sad as she heard confusion in his voice.

She just shrugged and scooted closer into the warmth Zuko gave off. "They're crazy, you're not. It happens."

Though she expected Zuko to relax and maybe even chuckle, all he did was tense more.

"I used to look up to him," Zuko said, a scowl in his tone. "I wanted to be like him. I adored him as she does."

"But you saw what he really was," Toph replied, trying to get her point across. "You're different."

Zuko wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her close to him. "Why do you always see the best in people? In me? What if one day I can't live up to it?"

Toph smiled and placed her hand on his. "Because everyone needs someone to believe in them. You are different, Zuko. Don't ever doubt yourself. You wanted to stop the pain and abuse your father started. You stand up for others. That is who you are."

Zuko was silent, but Toph felt him relax and then he drew her close as if hugging her.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear and Toph smiled as she felt his breath on her neck before she yawned.

"Anytime, Sunshine. And if that didn't help, we can duke it out in the dojo."

She felt better as she heard him chuckle and he relaxed more. Toph did as well and smiled as she felt him relax further and by his breathing, she was sure he had fallen asleep. Knowing she had made him feel better, at least for the moment, Toph relaxed into her boyfriend, feeling her eyes start to close. She knew she should get up, that he would have to go home soon, but lying there with Zuko was just so comfortable and warm, Toph thought she could stay there a little longer.

XXXXX

Zuko woke suddenly as he heard rain pounding against the windows and roof and felt disoriented as he found himself lying on a couch and staring at a large TV and entertainment center as early morning light lit up the room. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep on the couch with Toph, and was even more surprised that it was now dawn and no one had woken him to have him go home. He also noticed that a large, green blanket had mysteriously appeared on him as he glanced around.

"Good morning," he heard behind him and he sat up just in time to see Toph's mother approach him with two steaming mugs. "Here," she said, holding out one of the mugs to him. "It's a tea of my own blend,"

"Thanks," Zuko muttered, still confused at how civil Jasmine was being to him since he had accidentally slept at her house for the night. He remembered lying down with Toph and watching a movie as he drifted off and wondered where Toph was. He took a sip of tea and was surprised to find it a nice blend of jasmine, but not too strong. Setting the mug into his lap, he eyed Toph's mother again who seemed to be waiting for him. She was as lovely as ever in a green turtleneck and jeans and Zuko noticed a lot of the traits he found beautiful in Toph in her mother and knew that Toph was going to be even more gorgeous in a couple more years. "I'm sorry about falling asleep here," he started. "It won't…"

Jasmine waved it off and he stopped. "Your uncle and mother are here as well," she told him with a smile. "The storm was just too bad and still sounds terrible, though it has lightened since last night. With Ursa's poor health and you and my daughter tired out, we decided it would be ok if you all stayed over. Toph woke up later and I sent her to sleep in her own room while your uncle and mother are in some of the guest rooms. Do you like the tea?"

"Um…yeah. Thank you," Zuko replied, still taking the information in. He was surprised that he hadn't been kicked out, and thought that if Lao was there, he would have been kicked out the night before. Jasmine must have seen his thoughts on his face, for she smiled kindly after taking a sip of tea.

"Don't worry about my husband, at least until this weekend. He's just overprotective of Toph. He has always been that way, but I love him so much, I find it adorable," she said and Zuko stopped himself from scoffing at that remark. Finding over-protectiveness adorable was one thing, but coming from Lao Bei Fong? That was mind boggling. "I'm glad to find another early riser though," Jasmine continued, a twinkle in her green eyes showing that she understood Zuko's reaction.

"Doesn't your husband rise early?" Zuko asked hesitantly, remembering Lao greeting him once and always being gone whenever he and Toph had set off for school.

Jasmine merely sighed. "He does now, but it was hard for him in the beginning. He would much rather sleep in, but his business doesn't allow him that luxury. Unfortunately, Toph gets her sleeping habits from both sides of the family."

Zuko smiled along with Jasmine, knowing full well the lady was speaking of Jun as well as Lao. They were both silent as they continued to sip the tea, though Zuko noticed Jasmine studying him discreetly. He avoided her gaze as he continued to sip the tea, noticing that though it was still dark and gloomy outside, the sound of the rain wasn't quite as intense as it had been the night before

"There it is," she finally said, startling him. Jasmine leaned forward towards Zuko's right side and smiled. "You have your mother's nose and face. We were talking about how much or little our children were like us, and she said you were almost a spitting image of your father."

Zuko scowled and set his cup down onto the table next to the couch, "Thank you for the tea, Mrs…" Zuko stated coldly, starting to rise.

Jasmine stopped him by laying her hand on his arm gently. "I'm sorry Zuko," she said with a sympathetic look. "I don't know much about your family, but from what I have heard, you are nothing like him. You have your mother's strength and will, and your uncle's wisdom, even though you are still so young. I also heard my daughter talking to you last night and she is right. You are different."

Zuko stopped, studying Toph's mother. Her green eyes seemed to bore into him, much like Toph's did, and he could see that she knew he was different from his father. He continued to frown, but he wasn't scowling anymore and Jasmine smiled softly and removed her hand from his arm to hold her tea again.

"Actually, Toph is wiser than most give her credit for. I blame my uncle, Bumi," she said and Zuko waited, seeing where this would go. "He gave me some very wise advice once, and I'm sure he stole it from someone. 'Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.' Basically, enjoy your life. You can't live in the past, nor know what's going to happen tomorrow. Your father may show up tomorrow, next month, next year, or never, but my daughter is wonderful at making people focus on the here and now."

Zuko nodded, drinking in Jasmine's words. She reached out and patted his cast. "The shower is the door on the left just before the dojo and Jun had Danny bring over a clean set of clothes for you and your traveling kit. They're next to the chair," she said, pointing towards one of the recliners in the room. Zuko watched her get up, still thinking on her words and noticed she paused before she left his sight. Turning back to him, she smiled again. "Do you have anything to wear to the tournament?"

"What? No, Mrs. Bei Fong. I don't," Zuko replied, his mind still churning over the quote she had given him.

Jasmine's smile widened. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to make something for you. I'm making Toph's gi and you've given me a great idea for yours. Would you mind?"

"No, not at all. Thank you, Mrs. Bei Fong," Zuko replied, smiling slightly at her and she nodded.

"I'll include Ursa too, I bet she has some wonderful ideas," Jasmine said to herself as she walked away.

Zuko was still thinking over the unusual conversation he had had with Toph's mother, but now that he was awake, his limbs itched to get moving. Sighing, he got up, setting the empty mug into the sink in the kitchen before he made his way as quietly as he could to the dojo. He smiled as he passed a closed door and heard his uncle's characteristic snores from inside and his smile widened when he spotted Nyla curled up in front of a doorway a little further down the hallway. Her eyes opened when he got closer and she lifted her head, looking at him quizzically, her ears cocked as if looking to see what he would do, but he merely motioned for her to stay and passed her. Glancing back at the dog before he reached the dojo, the scarred teen almost laughed as Nyla let out an unmistakable sigh before setting her head back down, though her eyes continued to stay on Zuko. He knew that where the dog was lying was the one place he wasn't permitted; Toph's room, and Nyla took her job very seriously even if she didn't like it. He quickly pushed that thought out of his mind as he entered the dojo and spotted the punching bag. With a sigh of regret, he moved to the mat and instead began working on his forms, focusing his mind on getting better as he moved and worked up a sweat.

As he practiced, his mind strayed again to the conversation he had with Jasmine, and especially the quote she had give him. He did recognize it and thought it fit Toph and the way she viewed life perfectly. She lived in the here and now, not focusing on the past or the future, though she was aware of those areas of her life as well. The more Zuko thought on it, the more he realized that Toph was like her mother in many ways, in probably the same ways he was like his own mother. He had hated being compared to his father for years, but that was all the FBI agents who met him ever saw; his father. But knowing his father and seeing his mother struggle and survive through so much gave Zuko a new appreciation for his mother. She had done it all for him and his sister, as ungrateful as Azula was. And he wasn't going to let his mother or uncle down. Iroh was more a father to him than his own had ever been and he knew his uncle loved him as a son. As Zuko heard other people getting up and moving throughout the house, he finished the form he had been working on and decided to adopt Toph's attitude towards life. He would live in the here and now, even though he would be mindful of the future and past. He had learned from the past and knew he would face his father eventually, but just spending time with Toph and his true family would be a gift for the moment. So, with a smile as he heard Jun greeting Iroh in a tired voice, Zuko made his way to the shower to get ready for an interesting day.

XXXXX

Toph was confused as she walked with Bato and Zuko towards the cafeteria for lunch. Though Bato stayed a respectable distance back, acting as if he was just heading the same direction as the pair, Toph knew he could hear most conversation. But the really confusing thing was Zuko's attitude. It was as if he had done a complete one-eighty from the day before. Where last night he was dark and brooding, today he seemed almost happy and carefree, actually chuckling at one of Aang's jokes. Before they reached the cafeteria, Toph stopped and walked directly to the side of the hallway, grabbing Zuko's jacket and pulling him with her as she did so.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she frowned before she stopped and turned towards Bato.

"I need to have a word alone with my boyfriend," she almost growled at the agent. She heard Bato shrug and keep walking, though she knew his step had slowed and as soon as Toph thought he was far enough away, she turned to frown at Zuko again.

"What? What's wrong?' Zuko asked, sounding utterly confused.

"You!" she hissed. "What's up with you?! You were darker than this damn storm yesterday and then you wake up bright and cheerful! Who are you and where's my boyfriend?"

Zuko just chuckled, and though Toph enjoyed the sound of his rare laugh, she continued to frown. She heard him shrug, and felt his jacket move against her hand as he did so when he answered plainly.

"I got some good advice and have a good example."

Toph just scowled more. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, feeling her patience growing thin.

"You," Zuko whispered and surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her in for a kiss. Toph pushed him back with her hand still holding his jacket and knew Zuko was smiling, even though she continued to frown.

"I still don't understand," Toph growled, though deep down, she was enjoying this new side of Zuko. But the weather was still making her sour and the early mornings weren't helping her mood, either. She needed answers and she was determined to get them.

Zuko sighed and seemed to relax, though he kept his hands at her waist, slowly moving his fingers against her hips. "Your mom shared some thoughts with me this morning, and gave me some good advice. Basically to live in the moment, like you do. So, I decided to take her advice." Toph continued to frown, though she was getting distracted by his hands and then his voice got low and sultry. "There's not anything wrong with that, is there?" he asked as he leaned towards her.

Toph didn't realize how close he was, or that she had let go of his jacket to move her hand onto his chest until she felt his breath on her face and smelled a faint whiff of cinnamon before he kissed her. And how passionate his kiss was! She felt like it was their first kiss, or the kiss in the greenhouse and she just melted into him. But just as she was starting to really enjoy herself, Zuko pulled away.

"Later," he said in a ragged tone, his breathing heavy as if he was out of breath and Toph realized she was also breathing heavily, probably as much as he was. "We still need to focus on today."

"Awwww," Toph whined, pouting out her lower lip. "I guess so. But this damn weather had better clear up soon. I don't know how much more of this dreariness I can take!"

Zuko just chuckled again, but at least his distracting hands fell away and she heard him shrug again. Toph heard him turn and start walking and she fell in alongside him, hearing Bato open the door to the cafeteria.

"How can you tell how gloomy it is?" Zuko whispered as they entered the cafeteria and made their way to the food line. Toph turned towards him in surprise, because, for a second, she had heard the heaviness in his voice that he had the night before. She wondered if the weather was affecting him like it did her, but that vanished when he spoke again. "I mean physically. You said you felt the temperature dropping and pressure changing. Is that it?"

"Yeah," Toph sighed as she smelled several plates of pizza and reached out, feeling for a plate until she found one and hurriedly picked it up. "The clouds just give this feeling of oppression and the rain hasn't let up a whole lot. I hate rain!"

"I know," Zuko replied, chuckling slightly as Toph heard him pick up his own food. "At least the weekend will be clear."

"Yeah, sure," Toph replied, dreading the coming weekend. Zuko was quiet as they paid for their food and started walking towards their table. Toph heard Jet talking amiably with his friends as they passed that table and she heard snatches of 'club' and 'fighting' and wondered how the club would react to Jet's re-appearance.

"What's wrong?" Zuko whispered after they passed Jet. Toph realized she had tensed and instantly dropped her shoulders, trying to appear more at ease.

"Nothing," Toph muttered.

"Today will be fine," Zuko said before sitting down across from Sokka and leaving room for Toph.

She just slid in next to him, hearing Sokka and Aang talking about options for people for the tournament as Katara was missing, though Toph heard her talking with Song and Ming about some defensive moves and dance at another table.

"It's not today that I'm worried about," Toph hissed to Zuko before she started on her pizza.

She heard Sokka and Aang stop talking and, for a second, wondered if there was anything being said among the guys with looks, but soon Sokka and Aang were talking again and Zuko was eating his food, though Toph heard him turn towards her several times as they ate their lunch.

"So what are you guys planning for this weekend?" Aang asked suddenly.

"Going away with the parents," Toph sighed. "Just like every year."

"Oh yeah," Aang said with an embarrassed laugh. "Forgot about that. Will you two be ok there?"

"Yeah, just don't mention it, ok?" Zuko said with a little bit of growl in his tone. Toph started to smile as her boyfriend warned Aang with his tone.

"Sure, no problem," Aang said with a smile in his tone. "Toph, you going to be ok this weekend? All that snow up there…"

"Wait," Toph said with a frown. "How much is up there?"

"They've been saying four feet currently, and they're expecting another two to three by the time the storm ends, tomorrow."

Toph just sighed in defeat and pushed her plate away, letting her head fall onto the table. She had hoped it would only snow a little, and that it would be clear by the time they got up there. But six feet? No way could they clear all that away by the time they got up there Friday night.

"What's wrong with snow?" Zuko asked and Toph turned to glare at him.

"It's worse than rain, that's what," Toph growled before she sat up again. "It muffles and distorts sounds, it falls off of trees, it's wet, and, it's damn cold! That's what's wrong with it!"

Zuko just chuckled. "Well, I'll have to find a way to make you like it more," he said and Toph turned towards him, trying to find out what he was talking about, but the bell just rang and she sighed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she sighed as she picked up her backpack.

"It'll be a surprise," Zuko said as Aang hurried away. "I'll see you in gym."

"Yeah, see you," Toph sighed as she started walking out of the cafeteria.

"Hey, think about the club for now," Zuko called after her. "Don't worry about the weekend until it gets here."

Toph smiled as she walked out. Zuko's good mood was infectious, and he was right. It was her motto to live each day as it came and she would enjoy the club and maybe causing a little fun for herself at the meeting. She just had to think up a way and she had all of history to do that.

XXXXX

Zuko walked into the gym behind Katara and Aang who were carefully following Sokka. The scarred teen almost smirked every time Sokka glanced back to which Aang would instantly drop Katara's hand and both of them would turn bright red before Sokka shook his head in disgust and turn away from the couple.

"At least they're not as bad as some of the people in the halls," Toph muttered next to him.

Zuko glanced down at his girlfriend and smiled wryly. "We could always be worse and see what his expression would be."

Toph turned to grin at him. "I think he would try and punch you. But then he'd get his but handed to him by me."

Zuko chuckled and reached out, grabbing Toph's small hand and pulling her close to him as Sokka went to talk with Mr. Jeong and Katara and Aang quickly grabbed each other's hands again. He was glad Toph's mood had brightened since lunch, but the way she was grinning made him think that cheering her up may have been a bad thing. Her smiles were way too mischievous, even for her. With a shiver, he was almost reminded of Azula. But when Toph smiled at him again, he relaxed. There was way too much compassion and sincerity in Toph's face to even dare compare her to the girl he was forced to call a sister. With a wry grin, Zuko decided to tease Toph some more. He pulled her closer and leaned down towards her.

"You know it's worth it," Zuko whispered into Toph's ear and smiled when he saw her blush. He had to admit, she was really cute when her cheeks turned pink and he just relaxed and leaned against the wall in the back of the gym, still holding Toph's hand.

"Maybe, but not now," Toph whispered back and Zuko heard the entire gym quiet. He looked up towards the doors and saw Jet following his friends in. Everyone was watching him, including Mr. Jeong who was frowning slightly, but Jet avoided Zuko and Toph's gaze, instead following Smellerbee, Longshot and Pipsqueak to a corner and conversing with them as more people came in. Zuko noticed that Hahn came in just after Jet and frowned when he saw the spiky haired senior before he turned to glance Zuko's way. The scarred teen tensed and felt Toph tense since he was still holding her hand and Hahn just smirked.

"Remember, it's my turn to teach a lesson," Toph muttered darkly.

"Yeah, and it doesn't matter who to," Zuko remarked.

"Welcome back," Mr. Jeong stated, stopping all conversation and the heated whispers in the gym. "I have an announcement. As I said when we first started gathering, there are several martial arts tournaments this year and the one I had signed up for in December has been moved up to Thanksgiving weekend." Zuko heard many groans fill the room and, in a quick glance around, saw many disappointed faces. "We have ten available slots with two backup positions and those who can attend all three days of the holiday weekend and wish to participate should come see me after our meeting adjourns. You will need to have a permission slip signed by your parent or guardian and pay half of the fifty dollar entry fee." Mr. Jeong glanced around and smiled slightly at a few students. "For those of you doing poorly in math, that's twenty-five dollars."

Many chuckled at that and Zuko sighed as Sokka laughed outright, but Mr. Jeong just smiled more and continued. "Today I will be looking for potentials for the tournament, but we will try something new. For those of you interested in Bagua, see Aang at the far corner," the teacher stated, pointing to the corner in question. "Those interested in Tai Chi in the near corner. In Hung Gar, in the corner looking out upon the field and those interested in Northern Shaolin in the corner by the punching bag."

"Guess I gotta go," Toph sighed, slipping her hand out of Zuko's. She turned to grin at him. "Don't beat them up. Angie's got a few good moves and she's a good teacher."

Zuko just nodded and made his way to the corner as he saw Angie, Smellerbee and a few others he knew he had classes with, as well as a few he didn't know make their way over there. As he walked, he saw Hahn and Jet watching him through the shield his hair gave him as it hung over his scar, but ignored them, waiting to see where they would go. Hahn just glared his way before heading in Toph's direction and Jet started walking Zuko's way.

"Hey Jet!" Toph yelled suddenly. "You need to work on Hung Gar before you try any new stuff. Over here. Now!"

The scarred teen almost chuckled as Jet abruptly turned on his heel and made his way over to Toph, smiling at a few girls and joking with Longshot on the way. But Zuko saw the people waiting for him and started to frown, trying to keep himself from looking menacing. All eyes were riveted on him as he stopped before the small group, and he frowned more, noticing many eyes straying to his scar, especially from the people he didn't really know.

"Listen," Zuko stated as he heard Katara, Aang and Sokka starting to instruct their groups as Toph bellowed out orders to hers. "I don't really teach, but I'll improve your stances. Angie, why don't you instruct the moves and I'll improve techniques."

"I'll help too," Smellerbee offered, giving Angie and then Zuko an encouraging smile. "Though I'm here more to learn than teach."

Angie looked startled, gulped and then nodded when all the people's gazes shifted towards her.

"Ok then, we'll start out with the basics…" she said and started showing basic moves that led into an easy routine. As he said he would, Zuko moved among the group of nine, adjusting stances and showing a few how to do a maneuver properly as Angie and Smellerbee did, and he noticed a freshman who introduced himself as Shoji and a snotty junior named Hide who were actually pretty talented. After having to tell Shoji once how to do a move, he did it almost perfectly and always did better while Zuko noticed with increasing frustration that Hide acted like he knew it, but didn't seem to. Zuko barely held in his temper as Hide glowered back at him after the scarred teen had tried to show him how to kick and then punch better.

"Look, I know it, so stop bugging me," Hide remarked, blowing off Zuko. Zuko balled his fists up, trying to let go of his anger as he saw Smellerbee and Angie helping others. "Stupid scarface. Got a broken wrist and trying to teach _me_ how to fight," he heard Hide remark under his breath. Zuko growled, gritting his teeth and was about to pull Hide down when Toph's voice rang out in his direction.

"Hey Sunshine! Bet my group can whoop yours!"

Zuko glanced over at her and saw a lot of frightened looking people glancing at him, Angie, Smellerbee and Toph, though a few, including Jet, were calm, at least on the outside. Zuko let out the breath he was holding when he saw Toph grinning mischievously and just nodded. Turning back to Angie, he addressed her.

"I'm up for it if you are."

Angie merely nodded and Zuko turned back towards his girlfriend. "You're on. Who against who?"

The other groups stopped paying attention to their teachers and look towards the middle of the gym as Toph brought her hand to her chin as if thinking.

"Three from each side, since that's about as many as I think are competent over here. I choose three, you choose three, and if we somehow tie, we go at it."

Zuko merely nodded. "Ok, you choose first,"

Toph turned back to her group. "Let's see…Longshot, Haru and…Jet." She turned back to Zuko. "Your turn."

He just smiled at her and turned towards Angie. "I'm thinking Smellerbee, Shoji and either you or this guy," he said, jerking his thumb towards Hide. "What do you think?"

"I agree," Angie replied, grinning. "And Hide, you're up against Jet," she said and Zuko thought he saw a malevolent spark in Angie's eyes as she settled her gaze on Hide. Zuko nodded, knowing Angie had gotten frustrated with the jerk as well since he refused to learn and kept trying to flirt with her, though in a condescending manner.

"Ok, first ones up," Toph stated and Zuko noticed the entire gym had stopped to watch as Longshot met his girlfriend on the mat in the center.

"You sure you're ok with this?" Angie suddenly asked from next to Zuko. He was surprised that he hadn't noticed her move, but brushed it off with a shrug.

"Some of them need to learn how to fight against others," he said, looking at Shoji, knowing the kid had potential, no matter how nervous he seemed. "And others need a lesson," he stated, glancing and frowning at Hide who turned just then to flash a dazzling smile at Angie who followed Zuko's gaze only to sniff and turn away from Hide with a frown. Zuko felt his frown grow when Hide sneered at him before focusing on the match. The scarred teen just sighed and glanced at Smellerbee and Longshot. What he saw drew him in and he watched the match earnestly. Smellerbee was vicious and attacked relentlessly, using a mixture of Northern Shaolin and Hung Gar, but also what looked like some Muay Thai moves thrown in. But though she was relentless in her attacks, her boyfriend was steady and stable, blocking and re-directing all of the should-have-been hits. It was obvious to all that they had sparred together often, and both knew each other's moves perfectly. Zuko looked at Toph after a few minutes of watching the couple and saw her blow her hair out of her eyes in a bored way. When Smellerbee jumped away from one of Longshot's rare kicks, Toph stepped up to them, stopping them both from going at it again.

"Well, as much as we'd all _love_ to see this end, I don't think we can stay here all night," Toph drawled to which many people in the gym chuckled. "I call this a tie. Mustavo, you're up against tiny there," Toph said, pointing at Shoji. Zuko and Angie both turned to the freshman and the scarred teen noticed the poor kid sweating and gulping. Shoji glanced at them and Zuko tried to give the kid a reassuring smile, or at least not frown at him and saw Angie's face lighten and give the kid a thumbs up. Shoji nodded and stood straighter before he stepped onto the mat. Zuko turned to asses the kid's opponent and saw a senior with silky brown hair, the stuff most girls sigh over, and a silly looking mustache frown at Toph before he stepped onto the mat and smiled at Shoji before bowing. The freshman seemed more at ease as he bowed back and Angie leaned towards Zuko as they watched both Haru and Shoji start to spar.

"You think he'll last?" Angie whispered.

Zuko kept watching the two and noticed that though Haru was very skilled in Hung gar, he wasn't nearly as good as Toph, or even Longshot and Smellerbee. He was too confident about facing a smaller opponent, and though Shoji was hesitant at first, Zuko saw the freshman become more confident, especially after he used a move Angie had taught him and actually landed a kick on Haru.

"I think he'll win," Zuko stated and looked across the spar to his girlfriend. Toph seemed to be deep in thought, looking like she was studying the match with her head cocked as if she was listening to it intently. She smiled when Shoji landed another hit on Haru and Zuko wondered if she needed to teach the senior a lesson like Zuko was going to do to Hide. Zuko's attention was brought back to the spar when Haru reached too far, trying to hit the smaller boy and Shoji moved to the side and then hit downwards onto Haru's back, causing the senior to lose his balance and fall flat on his face.

"I call that a win in our favor," Zuko said with a small smirk towards Toph, but she merely grinned back and nodded.

"Sunshine's right, Mustavo," she said towards the center where Shoji was helping Haru up. "Let that be a lesson to you. Always, and I do mean _always_, stay low and centered. Your root is your base. Ok, Jerkwad, you're up."

Zuko saw Jet frown in Toph's direction, but merely shrugged and walked onto the mat, looking bored as he seemed to wait on Hide. But the scarred senior noticed that Toph wasn't directing the comment in Jet's direction, but was facing Hide and Angie seemed to brighten when she noticed Toph's grin.

"You heard him, Jerkwad," Angie said to Hide and Zuko heard a smirk in her tone. "Your turn."

Hide turned towards them and frowned, but flipped his hair out of his face and stepped onto the mat. As Hide and Jet bowed to each other, Zuko noticed Mr. Jeong pulling Sokka, Katara and Aang away and speaking with them quietly. Zuko just ignored it as Jet sank into a horse stance, facing Hide with a confident smirk.

"Come on, tough guy, let's see what you got," Jet said in an easy manner and Zuko smirked a little as Hide scowled.

"Yeah, you'll see what I've got. But you, you ran from a scarred jerk and a blind girl. I'll show you who's tough," Hide sneered to which Zuko frowned and noticed Toph scowling behind Jet.

"Show him what you learned, Tiger," Toph stated and Jet just smiled.

Jet just nodded and waited, and Hide seemed confused that his jeer hadn't prompted a response. Zuko was surprised as well, thinking Jet hot headed from his encounters with the spiky haired senior in the past, but that gave way to a new way of looking at the guy when Jet effectively blocked Hide's onslaught of haphazard kicks and jabs with a stable horse stance. As Zuko watched the pair spar, he noticed that the Jet he had faced a few weeks before had changed and grown. This Jet was more patient, waiting, though Zuko could see the spark of anger in Jet's brown eyes when Hide remarked lowly of Smellerbee. Within a blink of an eye, Hide was face down on the mat with his arm bent behind his back in a hold and Jet frowning on top of him with Jet's knee holding the jerk down.

"Don't talk trash about my little sister," Zuko heard Jet growl before the spiky haired senior got up and was smiling again. "I think that one is ours. So it's a tie," Jet said, studying Zuko.

"Guess so," Toph said with a smirk. "That means it's our turn," she said, turning to Zuko and grinning.

"If I may, Sifu Toph," Jet said humbly which surprised everyone there. "But your match with Zuko will probably be longer than Smellerbee's and Longshot's. You two were just about even last I heard and you'll go easy on him with his cast. Perhaps someone new?"

Zuko stopped, watching Toph's expression and knew there would be trouble.

"You're right," Toph said with a smile and Jet seemed to relax. "At least about it taking a long time. But I won't spar with Angie, we both know it'll be a short match. How about you and Sunshine? You ok with that Jet? You're tired and he's got a cast on. Just don't hit it or I'll hit you back."

The group chuckled, but Zuko tensed. He had seen Jet move differently, relying on Toph's teaching more than his old style, but that had disappeared when Hide had insulted Smellerbee. For a second, Zuko had seen the old Jet but with a purpose. Not just trying to bully somebody or try to charm an old girlfriend back, but a tough guy with a purpose. Almost reminded Zuko of himself.

"I'm up for it if you are," Zuko said, stepping onto the mat. "But yeah, watch the cast. I'd rather get out of it sooner than stay in it longer."

Jet seemed surprised by the turn of events, or even Zuko's acceptance, but shrugged and smiled an easy smile. "Ok, let's do this before we have to go."

"I'm afraid I'll have to interrupt," Mr. Jeong stated, moving to the center of the group. "Our time has come to an end and we will continue this next week." Many groans were heard, most especially from Toph, but Zuko and Jet both remained silent, glancing at each other warily. Both glanced back to the teacher to see Mr. Jeong studying them shrewdly before his face lightened. "Again, any who wish to compete must speak with me to get a permission slip and I will announce the team at our next meeting. Zuko, Toph, I need a word with you before you go."

Zuko nodded and glanced at Jet, trying to gauge the other senior's reaction. Jet just turned to him and shrugged, flashing Zuko an easy smile. "Guess we'll have to wait. Besides, I'd rather wait till you were out of that cast first. See ya around Scarface," Jet said before he walked off the mat, grabbing his shoes before picking up his backpack and walking out of the gym with Smellerbee and Longshot. Zuko just frowned after Jet and saw Toph walk up to him out of the corner of his eye.

"Aw, that was no fair. It would have been a pleasure to see you two at top form," she said with a smirk in her tone.

Zuko just frowned down at his girlfriend. He then held out his arm, flexing his right hand in the cast. "Yeah, that may have to wait a while."

Toph suddenly punched him in the arm, startling him and making him frown. She smiled and nodded her head to her right and Zuko saw Mr. Jeong speaking with Lee who looked disappointed and then frowning at Hide. When Lee left, Hide started looking superior, but then the gym teacher scowled and spoke, though Zuko couldn't hear the conversation over everyone else talking. Hide's smirk disappeared into a frown and then he stalked off, looking furious.

"What's up with him?" Zuko whispered to Toph.

"Jeong said no to the new Jerkwad," Toph replied, grinning. "Come on, we need to talk to him."

Zuko stared after Toph and just shrugged before following his girlfriend to Mr. Jeong. They waited patiently for a few freshmen and sophomores to finish talking to the teacher before Mr. Jeong noticed them and smiled at them.

"That was quite a display of patience on Jet's part. My thanks to you Miss Toph," Mr. Jeong stated and Zuko noticed Toph blushing.

"I think that was mostly do to Sunshine here a few days ago, but he is a surprisingly good student," Toph said with a shrug, ducking her head to try and hide her blush behind her bangs.

"Yes, he is. I wanted to speak with you two and your friends before you left, but Sokka and Katara had to leave early for her dance class," Mr. Jeong said. "Perhaps I could meet with you all after school tomorrow."

"Sure, just have to check with my escort," Toph said, jerking her thumb subtly towards the door where Zuko saw Jun and Fong waiting.

Mr. Jeong just nodded, looking like he was thinking. "Of course, let me know in gym, or I can just check with them later."

"Yeah, whatever," Toph said with a smile before turning to Zuko. "Coming Sunshine? I can't wait to get home where it'll be nice and warm."

Zuko just nodded and turned to follow Toph to Jun and Fong. "What was with the new nicknames?" he hissed to Toph after they passed a group of freshmen. The way Toph had talked to Jet had showed some respect on her part, and he wondered what the guy had done to deserve it.

"Oh, well, he wasn't being a jerk like that other guy. And his style reminded me of a tiger," Toph said. "He also did a great impression of Tony the Tiger before I made him go flat on his face," she said with a grin in Zuko's direction. He relaxed slightly, but continued walking. "I think he'll be good at the tournament. What about you?"

"Definitely better than that jerk, Hide," Zuko said before they met up with Jun.

"Ready you two?" Jun asked.

"Yep," Toph said with a grin before that faded for a second. "Just one more day until this blasted storm is over and then the oh so glorious long weekend."

Zuko chuckled as sarcasm dripped from Toph's mouth and she looked at him, questioning him with her expression.

"Relax, I'll make it better, trust me," he said with a small smile and Toph just sighed.

"You better. You're the only reason I'm not fighting the annual va-ca," she said with a sigh as they left the gym.

A/N: Just to let you guys know, Lee is the freshman who was in the advanced group, the one with the older brother in the army (Zuko Alone) and Shoji and Hide are characters from The Headband. Shoji is the small kid who befriended Aang and Hide is On-Ji's so-called boyfriend. I think they'll be nice additions to the drama, don't you? Well, don't forget to review, cause I have a lot of fun in store for the 'weekend'


	20. The Mountain Part 1

AN: I know, it's been a long time between updates, and for that, you have my sincere apologies. Life has just been…stressful, and busy, very busy. I promise I will finish this story, no matter what, it will just take time. Thank you again for reading, and please enjoy. Hopefully part 2 will be up shortly. Thanks again!

Chapter 20

Zuko glanced around the house as he walked down the stairs. The 'cabin', as Toph's mother had put it, was huge. It was a wood house, that much was like a cabin, but vaulted ceilings made the place look larger than it was and huge windows let in sunlight no matter what time of day it was. Then there were the bedrooms, or number of them. Zuko and his family each had their own room in the back of the house and the scarred teen knew Bato and Danny had rooms next to his. Their rooms were all on the second story, looking out on a forest landscape since the house was basically perched on the edge of a cliff. When he had woken up that morning, Zuko had found himself lost in the beauty of the untouched forest behind the house as well as the nice slope that led down the hill to a valley. From the window it looked like the house stood over a cliff edge, but on more careful observation, Zuko had seen that his window was about three stories above the slope. And, it was a perfect slope for sledding.

As he reached the bottom step, he was unsure of where to go, but heard lowered voices in the kitchen and made his way there, recognizing at least two of the voices. As he walked through the large living room, his eyes strayed to the huge fireplace in the corner which was next to the other flight of stairs which led to the Bei Fong's rooms, including Jun's. Zuko spotted Nyla curled up in front of the fireplace which held some glowing embers and smiled as she looked extremely happy with her belly up and all four feet in the air. She turned to look at him and opened her mouth in a dog grin and he smiled more. He motioned for her to stay and she just turned away from him before rolling onto her side and stretching out.

He was almost temped to go over to the dog and pet her, just relaxing by the fire, but he knew he still needed to find a way to get Toph to like snow. He had thought up several options and his attention was peaked when he heard his name from the people in the kitchen. Sighing, he continued that way and walked in to find Jasmine Bei Fong, Jun and his mother talking over tea,

"Oh, good morning dear," Ursa said as she lifted her head and smiled at him.

Zuko gave a soft smile back to his mother and walked to the cupboards to get some breakfast. When they had arrived the night before, Toph had shown him where everything was before they had gone to bed. With the huge amount of snow that the storm had brought in, the roads were still being cleared in some places and many accidents had delayed them on their trip up the mountains. They had not reached the cabin until ten the night before and after getting everything out of the car and put away, it was almost midnight and Lao had insisted on everyone, especially Toph, getting to bed.

"Don't get anything, it's being made," Jun said as Zuko reached for some cereal. He glanced back at her, and frowned since she was looking intently at something on the table in the middle of the three women, then just shrugged it off before getting a mug and pouring himself some tea. Sitting at the edge of the table, he noticed some drawings in the middle and leaned in closer to get a better look.

"Nope, can't see them yet," Jun said as she placed a hand over the closest drawing which looked like a model wearing black clothes. The FBI agent turned to grin at him and Zuko just frowned back. Jun's grin turned to a smirk and she got up. "Come on Zuko, I heard you practice in the morning and I want to see what shape you're in."

"Thought you saw when Toph and I sparred," Zuko growled, but Jun just smirked and the scarred teen saw his mother frown at him in a disapproving manner. "Fine," he sighed, getting up to place his empty mug in the sink. "Where are we going to spar?"

"In the garage," Jun replied, holding out her mug to him. "It has a mat and by the time we're done, breakfast will be ready."

Zuko merely shrugged and followed Jun as she led the way out to the entryway and then down another set of stairs to a regular garage, but only one car was parked there. By the look of it, Zuko thought it was Lao's. Jun padded over to the mat and, for the first time, Zuko realized she was only in sweats and socks. She gave him a confident grin and beckoned with one hand.

"Come on, we'll warm up as we move," she said and Zuko merely shrugged before joining her on the mat and sinking into a stance.

Jun surprised him by jabbing in first, but Zuko deftly blocked it and moved into a kick towards the agent's head. She seemed surprised that he had blocked and then attacked so quickly, but then she was grinning and was punching and kicking at him quickly. Zuko did all he could to block and watched for openings and found a few, but Jun was too fast for him to land a hit on her. He noticed her style was similar to Toph's, but it also had more of an edge to it that reminded him of his uncle. She also threw in a few unexpected things, and blocked when he thought she would attack and vice versa. As they sparred, Zuko realized she was testing him, pushing him to his limits and especially to see how far he could see on his left side and how much he would block with his right hand. The knowledge that she was pushing him made him angry and determined to prove that he could fight and was not to be taken for granted. When Jun attacked towards his right again, Zuko ducked under the jab and parried with an uppercut. Jun leaned back away from the hit, but that was what Zuko was waiting for and he spun towards the ground, snaking his foot out and catching Jun's feet. She stumbled backwards, but also thrust her foot out as she fell, catching Zuko's foot as he spun up into a standing position. He stumbled and tried to keep his balance as Jun fell, but she twisted and grabbed his ankle, pulling his feet out from under him.

Zuko felt his back hit the mat hard and glanced over at Jun as he caught his breath. He was ready to jump to his feet and go another round, but the sight of Jun laughing stopped him. He slowly got to his feet and looked down at her, but she continued to laugh and when she opened her eyes and looked at him, only laughed harder.

"What's your problem?" he asked with a frown.

"You," Jun replied as she took a deep breath and started getting herself under control. "You're so serious. It was just a simple spar. But _noooo_, you had to go for the kill."

Zuko frowned and held out his arm to the agent. "No it wasn't," he replied as she grasped his arm and he pulled her up. "You were testing me, seeing how far I would go, thinking my left side was weak and how much or little I would use my right hand."

Jun immediately sobered and let go of Zuko's hand and she studied him shrewdly. "Nothing gets past you, does it?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Some stuff does," Zuko answered, glancing upwards and immediately locked eyes with Jun again. "Why the test?"

Jun shrugged. "To see how far you would go and make sure you realize that arm needs to heal. You still need to be in top form, no matter what, but I needed to see that you know to take it easy when need be."

"Just ask next time," Zuko growled, but Jun merely continued to smile. She glanced down at her watch and grinned. "Breakfast should be ready and that means the grouch and squirt will be up."

Zuko looked at Jun, puzzled, but the agent ignored it and started making her way up the stairs into the house. With a roll of his eyes, Zuko followed her. He didn't understand Jun, and felt like he never would. Toph's words came to him about how Jun was part of her family that was crazy and he had to agree with her. Jun was definitely crazy, though in a good way, much like how Toph was. As the scarred teen followed Jun into the kitchen, he was surprised to find it full of people and a wonderful smell. Zuko stopped short in the doorway as the smell of cinnamon rolls wafted over him. He realized he hadn't had any in years and the kitchen was full of adults, including his uncle, Lao, and all four agents who were staying at the cabin, but Toph was absent.

"Move aside and you won't get hurt," he heard behind him and had to smile as Toph brushed past him and sat at the table. Zuko followed her and sat next to her and Bato slid two plates their way. Toph stopped hers and Zuko saw her inhale deeply as steam rose from her cinnamon roll and let out a content sigh. The scarred teen smiled slightly until he saw Lao frowning at him from the other end of the dining table. Their gazes met and Zuko felt his smile falter as Lao narrowed his green eyes at him before straightening his features and turning towards his daughter.

"Toph," Lao said in a calm, even tone. "I have to go into town to meet my investors and clients. Are you going to stay around the house today?"

Zuko was cutting his cinnamon roll in more manageable pieces and glanced over to Toph. He almost laughed as he saw Toph stop mid chew, startled, but then she quickly swallowed and started to smile.

"Actually," Toph started slowly, "I was thinking of going to the village and walking around."

Zuko glanced back at Lao through his hair as he continued to cut up his breakfast, and saw the man actually look startled before he schooled his features back into a frown.

"Don't worry, Lao," Jun said after a quick glance in the teenagers' direction before smiling at Lao. "Me and my boys will be there. There are three staying in the village and with a call will be out and strolling around just like all the other tourists this weekend."

Zuko saw Lao turn inwards through the shield of his hair as he continued to cut his breakfast and then Lao glanced at Toph in a thoughtful, kind manner.

"Very well," Lao announced before taking a final sip of tea and rising from the table. He turned towards Jun and sent a hard look the agent's way. "But no trouble. Understood?"

"Jeese, Lao, you act like _I'm _the troublemaker," Jun replied with a laugh. "Don't worry. We'll be good little boys and girls."

Zuko almost smirked and Toph snorted before they both covered it up by taking bites of food as Lao sent a hard look their way, but then the businessman left, kissing his wife goodbye, though Zuko did see Lao send an intimidating glare Jun's way once more before he walked out the door. They heard the garage door shut and then Toph and Jun burst out laughing. Zuko glanced at his girlfriend and saw that she was laughing so hard she had one hand on her stomach, but the wry grin in Zuko's direction caused him to smile. That soon gave way to a chuckle as Toph continued to laugh and then he was laughing too, though he didn't know why.

"All right, you two, save it for later," Bato said with a laugh in his tone. Zuko stopped abruptly and turned to look at the table and saw all the adults were regaining control of themselves after laughing as well. Jasmine and Jun were still laughing and Jasmine was wiping her eyes as she started gaining control of herself.

"I never, in all my years of knowing him…" Jasmine started through laughs before taking a deeper breath to steady herself, "thought that Lao would act like an older brother."

"No, not an older brother," Jun replied. "Just like a dad. Glad he's finally gotten into the role."

"Yeah, he could have done the good dad bit a little sooner," Toph remarked with a frown in her voice. Zuko glanced at her, completely expecting a frown, but saw her characteristic smirk instead. "So, what's the plan?"

"Just like I said. I'm gonna call them now while you two finish up and then get ready for the day," Jun said with a smirk to Toph and Zuko. "Ursa, Iroh, what would you care to do today?" Zuko's head shot up at how different Jun's tone was, being polite and thoughtful instead of sarcastic.

Ursa merely smiled at the agent while Iroh took a sip of tea. "I think I'll spend the day here with Jasmine. We have been getting to know each other so well and this new project of hers is wonderful," she said with a wink in Zuko's direction. The scarred teen merely sighed, but kept it discreet before he took another bite of his breakfast.

"And I think I will relax today and enjoy the shops tomorrow," Iroh replied. "Perhaps I can help the ladies, however that may be."

Zuko almost sighed as he heard a smile in his uncle's tone, but continued eating his breakfast.

"All right," Jun said in a thoughtful tone. "Bato, why don't you and Danny stay here and Jon can drive us and then circle the village while the others stroll around. I'll be with these two," and Zuko saw Jun jerk her thumb in is direction as she spoke with Bato, "and watch over them as a chaperone."

Toph snorted again. "Yeah, like we _really_ need a chaperone," Toph replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Of course you two do," Jun replied with a smirk. "Who knows what kind of trouble you would get him into."

Zuko popped the last bite of food into his mouth and saw Toph blush out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, but he gets into enough trouble by himself, don't you Sunshine?"

"Perhaps," Zuko replied. "But you're worse."

He turned to Toph as she smiled up at him and he almost leaned over to kiss her, but he knew all eyes were on them.

"Yeah, yeah, break it up you two," Jun said, waving her hands as if shooing them away. "Go on and get dressed in _warm_ clothes. It's a little cold and a breeze is picking up,"

Zuko sighed, but quickly rose and took Toph's plate as well as his own to the sink before heading up to his room to get his jacket and a hat. He shrugged his jacket on and put his black baseball hat on and stopped short when he noticed a mirror on the wall. He looked serious in black pants and jacket, though the cap did a good job of hiding his scar and his hair was getting long as it covered his neck and almost went into his jacket. If he didn't know any better, he would think that he was a guy looking for trouble. With a smirk that seemed to lighten his features, though his scar still glared at him, he knew that was the opposite of that was true. He turned away from the mirror and hurried down the stairs, tucking his gloves into his jacket pocket. He spotted Toph coming down the other set of stairs in a dark green jacket that looked quite large on her and hung down well past her hips, showing blue jeans underneath. With a smile, Zuko noticed the jeans were tight, but it also looked like she had some thermals underneath her jeans as well, making them even tighter. She also wore a green beanie on her head that he had seen the week before during the storm, but her black hair came out from under her hat and fell down to her waist. She was followed down the stairs by Jun who was simply wearing a pair of jeans and a black coat, but the agent had spotted him staring at Toph and smirked his way before nudging Toph and leaning down to whisper in her ear. Zuko continued walking their way and saw Toph turn a bright red before she hit her cousin in the gut with a triumphant smirk.

"Well," Jun said as she got her breath back and smirked at Toph. "Let's get going."

The two followed the agent to the car outside. Zuko noticed that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and the sun shone on a white winter wonderland, but with a quick glance to his side, he noticed that Toph was scowling. He hurried to the car and opened the door for her, sliding in after her and shutting it quickly.

"It's cold," she grumbled. Zuko merely chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close to him.

"It's not that bad," he said and chuckled again when she scowled at him. "Hey, you're the one who wanted to get out. Besides, once we're out in the sun, walking around, you won't even notice the cold."

"You've lived here before?" Toph asked, her face softening in thought.

"No, but colder places," Zuko replied with a frown as he thought about several towns he and his uncle had moved to. At least this one hadn't had an ice storm.

"Well, at least I have a personal heater," Toph said with a sigh as she cuddled against him as Jon started up the car and Jun got into the passenger seat.

XXXXX

Toph smiled as she held Zuko's hand as they walked through the town. She heard Jun behind them, and had to admit that Zuko was right. With the sun shining down on them as they walked, she was quite comfortable. Not too cold, and the gloves and thermals she had on helped. As they entered another of the many shops in the village, she inhaled deeply as the scent of leather engulfed her. She loved the smell of leather and a thought came to her.

"Hey, when's your birthday?" she asked her boyfriend.

"June, why?"

"Ah, that's so far," she replied as she felt several leather wallets, feeling the detailed scrollwork. She heard him sigh and knew he would ask.

"When is yours?"

"December 7th," she replied.

"Pearl Harbor day," he muttered under his breath and Toph thought he sounded agitated before his tone lightened again. "That's the day before my mother's."

"And, less than a month away," Toph said with a smirk as she moved from the wallets to the jackets. She heard a familiar voice and started moving that way, wondering who it was as she also heard Zuko follow her and Jun talking quietly with the young man at the register.

"So, I have that long to think up a gift," Zuko said slyly and Toph smiled at that. She focused more on the familiar person and then it clicked who it was when said person squealed high and then Toph was being strangled in a tight hug.

"Toph! It is Toph, right? Oh how did that costume work out? I heard about the party. Oh, the party! Is this him? The guy who broke the jerk's nose for you? I wish I had someone like that!"

"Hi Ty Lee," Toph muttered out through the other's girl jacket and then she was released and she could breathe again. Toph merely smiled up at the taller girl. "Yeah, it's me, and it worked wonderfully. This is him, my boyfriend, Zuko." She gestured back to Zuko and heard his clothes rustle as if he was stiff and tense.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you," Ty Lee said, approaching Zuko slowly and holding out her hand. Toph heard Zuko take it and shake it gently.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too," Zuko said gruffly, and Toph wondered what his problem was. A minute ago he was laughing and teasing with her, and now he was dark and brooding again. She would have to think about it and listen more closely to him. It was strange how he had suddenly turned dark and aloof after several days of being more friendly.

"Are you here alone?" Toph asked Ty Lee.

"Oh, yes. My family's up here, but my sisters all wanted to go skiing and I didn't. So I thought I'd stroll the town. There are so many wonderful shops and no one I know. It was so good to see a familiar face!"

"Yeah, it is," Toph said with a wry smile when her stomach suddenly growled. "Actually, we were heading to lunch next. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure," Ty Lee replied happily.

"What school do you go to?" Zuko asked, still sounding aloof and Toph frowned at him, but Ty Lee merely giggled.

"Actually I'm home schooled," she replied. "With six sisters and my dad being away a lot, my parents wanted us to be a close knit family. And my mom was a teacher before she married and started having kids. Thank goodness my parents let me get the part time job at the costume shop. That was so much fun! And I got to meet so many great people! Like you, Toph. I hope we can become great friends!"

Toph just laughed. "Yeah, that would be nice. Come on, I'm starving." She started heading towards the door. She heard Zuko shrug and follow her and Ty Lee and Jun step away from the counter.

"And this is…?" Jun asked with a guarded tone.

"This is Ty Lee," Toph introduced. "She helped me with my costume for Aang's party. And, she's home schooled."

Toph didn't hear anything from Jun except her breathing, and Ty Lee was bouncing almost nervously next to her and Zuko was silent as they waited.

"All right," Jun said with a smile in her tone. "Hope you guys like Italian. There's a great place at the corner."

"Yeah, it's great!" Ty Lee said and grabbed Toph's arm, pulling the blind girl alongside her. Toph could only laugh at the girl's endless enthusiasm. She turned her head slightly as she heard Zuko following them and wondered why he was so stiff. Jun had ok'd Ty Lee. And her cousin was the one protecting them. Toph brushed it off to think about later when they were alone, but it was kind of nice to meet another girl who didn't seem to care about her blindness. They soon reached the restaurant and Toph found the smells intoxicating. Everything smelled delicious and it was so warm in the place, she quickly took off her jacket, hat and gloves.

"Wow, that's such a pretty shirt," Ty Lee awed when Toph took her jacket off. "And you have such beautiful, long hair! It must be hard to work with!"

"Not really," Toph shrugged as she slid into a bench seat, hoping Zuko would slide in next to her as Ty Lee slid in across from her. "I usually put it all up so it doesn't get in the way and I can't see the shirt. I just know it's comfortable."

Her boyfriend did slide in next to her and seemed more relaxed as he moved, but he remained silent and Toph hoped that he wouldn't be rude to Ty Lee as Jun slid in next to the talkative girl.

"Her mom designs clothes," Jun said with pride. "And likes to design a lot of stuff for her daughter. At least you're wearing her stuff now, huh Toph?"

"Yeah yeah," Toph replied, waving it off. "But now Sunshine here had better watch out. With both of our moms together, they're probably designing clothes for him."

"Sunshine?" Ty Lee asked, confused. "Oh, is that you Zuko?"

"Yeah, that's him," Jun said in an amused tone. "Toph there gives all her friends nicknames. Says it suits their personalities."

"Are you her aunt?" Ty Lee asked Jun. "You two look very similar. Oh, are you chaperoning them? How romantic."

"She isn't a chaperone," Zuko growled out. "Per say," he said and Toph wondered what his problem was. "Excuse me, I'll be back."

Toph went to grab for his hand, trying to find out what was wrong, but he left too quickly.

"I hope I didn't offend him," Ty Lee said in a soft, disappointed tone. "I know you guys don't really need a chaperone, and that its kind of old fashioned. I just like the idea."

"It's ok," Jun said with a smile in her tone. "Toph's dad is just overprotective and I'm more the driver and fellow shopper right now. As well as the bill payer. I'll be right back, don't get into any trouble."

Toph heard Jun get up and follow Zuko, but knew he had probably disappeared into the men's restroom. Many other people about their age were in the restaurant as well as many families. But Toph ignored them as she waited for Jun and Zuko to get back and instead focused on Ty Lee who seemed to be strangely quiet and humbled.

"Don't worry about them." Toph said with an easy smile. "Jun's actually my cousin and Zuko…well, he's not a people person. It took him a while to open up and it takes him a while to like new people. Trust me, I practically made him get to know me."

"At least you have a nice boyfriend," Ty Lee sighed. "He likes you the way you are and respects you. I can see it every time he looks at you and I remember him from the costume shop. He really cares about you, not just for your body. I wish I could find a guy like that."

"That's a laugh. He cares about my body too. You should have seen him when we went to the party. He froze at the sight of me and I heard him breathing so fast, I thought he might pass out," Toph said and Ty Lee laughed with her. Toph smiled and sobered a little. "But I guess you're right, he does care. Don't worry. You'll find your guy someday," Toph said with a smile as she heard two people approach their table. It wasn't Jun and Zuko, but definitely two guys by the way they walked and that they were probably about Ty Lee's age if not a little older.

"Hi," one of the guys drawled out, trying to sound sexy and interested.

"Hey ladies," the other said, more polite, but still like a guy. The two almost reminded Toph of Hahn, but she held herself back as Ty Lee giggled.

"We're having a party tonight," the first guy stated. "And would like you two to come." He moved and it sounded like he was handing Ty Lee a piece of paper. Then he gave one to Toph. She merely smirked and took it, knowing it was of little use to her.

"Its' just a block away and there will be music, dancing and fun times for all," the second guy said.

The first guy leaned towards Ty Lee. "And, if you're up for it, maybe a little drink. See you there, sweetie." Ty Lee just giggled again and the guys left.

"That sounds like fun!" Ty Lee stated as Toph heard the guys talking to another group of girls a few tables down. The other girls giggled worse than Ty Lee and Toph merely shrugged.

"I'm not sure if I will go," she said.

"Dancing, people, I bet I can get my sisters to go, at least half of them and then Dad will let us go. Please, Toph. Come out tonight."

Toph hesitated. She didn't know these guys or where this party was and she was sure her parents wouldn't let her go, not just because her cousin was protecting her and Zuko. "I'm still not sure…"

"Sure about what?" Zuko asked, startling Toph. She hadn't heard him approach and he slid in next to her as Jun sat down and picked up the paper the guys had given Ty Lee.

"There's a party tonight," Jun said, handing Zuko the flyer. Toph heard Zuko stiffen again and sighed, blowing some hair out of her face. "We'll talk about it later. Toph, you know how your dad feels about these things."

"Yeah," Toph muttered before she smiled at Ty Lee. "Let me get your number and I'll call you if I'm going."

Ty Lee seemed to perk up at that and told Toph her number and they talked throughout lunch, but as soon as they finished, Jun hurried her and Zuko back to the car with some quick good byes to Ty Lee. Once in the car, Jun turned to them both and spoke before either could.

"Look, I know you want to be like a normal teen," the agent said to Toph, "but a party right now may not be the best idea. I know we're in another town, but more than one family from Gaoling could be here. I'll talk to your parents and if it's ok'd, I'll have some of my younger guys in there. They could easily pass for college kids and will be welcomed. If you two are still up for going, I'm going too, to be outside surveillance."

Toph nodded and heard her cousin turn to Zuko as her boyfriend opened his mouth. "And, I know you're wary of people. It's a good trait, but you have to let people in too. I had Jon do some background on this girl while we headed to lunch and everything checks out with her. Danny is heading out to check out the party and the guys hosting it right now. Let me deal with what could be dangerous and I will fill you in on it. If you're too wary, you stand out. Now, do you both want to go to the party?"

Toph answered 'yes' the same time Zuko answered 'no' and Toph turned to him in surprise.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You remember the last party we went to? Or homecoming? It's too dangerous," he replied.

"And Jun and her guys will be there," Toph stated as she felt the car turn onto the main road.

"It's not just that," Zuko replied darkly and in a low tone. Toph wondered what he was talking about and her frustration with him grew. He had been frustrating since they met Ty Lee, and now it was getting worse.

"What then?" Toph asked, frowning.

"I saw the way they were looking at you and Ty Lee. Just like they were looking at all the other girls in there," he answered, his tone getting darker. "They don't care about you or what could happen. They're just interested in getting drunk and…"

"All right," Jun interrupted. "They _are_ college guys after all, but it's still your call. But only if Lao approves. Now, we're heading back and that can give you two some time to think about it. Toph, your parents could easily say no, and trust me, there are more parties out there for you. Zuko, don't always say no. Toph should have taught you that doesn't work all the time."

Toph heard the smugness in her cousin's tone and stuck her tongue out at Jun when she heard her cousin do it to her, but Zuko was still silent. He was distant, as he had been since they had met Ty Lee and she wasn't sure how to bridge that.

XXXXX

Zuko sighed as he followed Jun ad Toph into the house. Toph was still frowning, but at least she was being less frustrating now that they were waiting on her parent's approval for the party. All he wanted to do was spend time with Toph and maybe his mother this weekend, but she had it in her head to go to a party. To put herself in danger again. He stopped in the entryway and spotted the door to the garage. He immediately turned into it and heard Toph stop. Looking over his shoulder at her, he saw her frowning and questioning him.

"I'm gonna work on some forms," he said and knew it came out a little harsh when he saw her face fall slightly, but he quickly opened the door and descended into the garage. He wished there was a punching bag there as he kicked his shoes off, but did as he said he would and started practicing some of the forms Iroh had taught him the week before. As he practiced, he thought about Toph and Jun. Part of what he liked about Toph was that she never took no for anything, but today that had become frustrating. And that girl, Ty Lee, she hadn't helped with her perky attitude. And then those college guys. He just wanted to spend time with Toph, enjoying a few days of peace, but now…now Toph had it in her head to go to a party. Didn't she know how dangerous that was?! He turned and finished a jab with a little more force than necessary and found himself facing Bato.

"Lao said no, so you can relax and stop killing the air," the agent said with a serious face.

Zuko scowled, and Bato merely smiled that small smile of his.

"Besides, there's going to be another party tomorrow, and if the one tonight turns out ok, Lao will let you go, but only if both of you go."

Zuko stopped short of starting another routine and glanced at Bato. The dark skinned agent was serious and it seemed Lao was too. "Does Toph know this?"

"Not yet," Bato answered, tossing a towel at Zuko. "Danny and Jon will be going to the party tonight and apparently the girl, Ty Lee?" Zuko nodded and caught the towel. Bato nodded and continued. "Her parents said no to tonight as well, but they're doing something similar and the two oldest are going to the party tonight and if everything turns out all right the rest of the family will be able to go. Can you believe that girl is the youngest of six?"

"That explains some of it," Zuko muttered as he wiped his forehead and looked for a place to toss the towel. He spotted a laundry basket next to the dryer and tossed the towel in there. He sighed. "I still don't think it's a good idea to go to a party."

Bato merely nodded. "That may be true, but you're young still. Have some fun and let us worry about danger."

Zuko frowned as he eyed the agent. Bato's eyes were serious but a small smile was tugging at his mouth, as if he knew what the scarred teen was thinking.

"Besides," Bato said as Zuko continued to stay silent. "Lao may still say no tomorrow. Get up there and enjoy that girl."

Zuko let a small smile tug at his mouth and nodded before he turned to hurry up the stairs. He heard voices in the family room and found Toph, Jun and their mothers there playing dominos at the coffee table and Toph was looking slightly depressed. Jun spotted him first as he walked towards them and nudged Toph, whispering something in her ear. Toph stopped looking sad and turned towards Zuko as he walked towards them. He stopped short, knowing all eyes were on him, and unsure what to do. Jun smiled wryly and got up.

"Take my spot," she said to Zuko. "I'm gonna grabs some drinks. Ursa? Jaz? What would you like?"

"Some tea please," Ursa and Jasmine both replied, "Coke," Toph said and Jun turned towards Zuko.

"Just some water," Zuko replied before taking Jun's seat next to Toph.

"Actually, we need to make more tea," Ursa said and when Zuko glanced at his mother, he saw her smiling at him with a twinkle in her eyes and pulling Jasmine up with her. All three women left the room, some giggles escaping them and Zuko found himself alone with Toph. She turned away from and the scarred teen found himself at a loss for words. Earlier he had been frustrated, even angry with her for putting them in danger and wanting to go to the party, but now he was realizing he was being stupid.

"Toph, I…" he started but was stopped suddenly as Toph turned and kissed him soundly. He kissed her back, feeling passion and need in her kiss and trying to reassure her at the same as he returned the passion. When she finally stopped, he searched her face with his eyes and saw that she was still uncertain, but she seemed more at peace.

"I know," she said quietly. "And I am too. My dad…"

"Said no, I heard."

"Look, I know you're worried," she said, irritation starting to line her tone again, "but…"

Zuko stopped her with a kiss and when he finally stopped, smiled as her face was turned towards him, wanting more. "But there could be tomorrow," he said softly.

He smiled as her face screwed up in confusion. "What?" she asked as Zuko heard the women coming back in.

"Yeah, your father said there could be a possibility of you two going tomorrow," Jun said as she set down two cokes before the teens. Toph brightened and Zuko saw Jun smirk. "But only if everything turns out ok, Lao approves it and you both go."

Toph turned from her cousin to Zuko and she was grinning again, but looked at him expectantly. "So…"

Zuko smiled slightly. He knew it was dangerous, but they had people watching out for them and Toph and Jun and Bato were right. He had to live and enjoy life. "If everything is approved, yeah, I'll go." All of his doubts vanished as Toph brightened and hugged him to which all the women laughed.

"All right, break it up," Jun said with a smirk. "Everything still has to go according to plan, _including_ Lao approving. Now, I'm gonna beat you all at this game."

"Not on your life," Toph replied with an even bigger smirk as she faced off against her cousin. Zuko smiled and enjoyed the game as they played through the rest of the afternoon. Iroh joined in the game later, but Toph and Jun were the only ones who won as they played with raised dominos, though Zuko wasn't quite sure how Toph knew what everyone else had or how to beat them. But, that was Toph and he enjoyed every minute of being with her.


	21. The Mountain Part 2

A/N: Huge thanks again to NonFiction for reviewing this chapter and hoping the writing goes faster from here on out, but no promises. Still have the touney coming, so that should be fun. Let me know what you think and talk to you all soon! And remember, I don't know what you think if you don't review. I accept all forms of critique as long as it helps my writing. So, read and review! Thanks again!

Disclaimer: Don't own Avatar, or the last airbender, however you wanna say it.

Chapter 21

Toph curled up into the blankets as she heard voices coming from the hallway. She knew it was time to get up and as soon as she was up and showered, she would feel warmer, but it was just so cold out there and so nice in her pocket of blankets. As she started waking up, she recalled the day before. It had been so nice to just get out and be a normal girl hanging out with her boyfriend until his defensive nature kicked in when they met Ty Lee. But after they had apologized without actually saying the words, the day had become better. Toph smiled as she thought about how they had both started to say they were sorry for acting rudely against each other, but each had stopped the other from saying it and just spent the day being together, even though they were in full view of their mothers. She started wondering what today would bring when she heard her door open and a panting dog coming closer.

"I'm up Nyla," Toph muttered as she heard the dog get closer. Nyla stopped, but Toph knew the dog's face was less than a foot away. With a smile, she threw the blankets off her head and reached out to scratch Nylas' head. The dog leaned into the scratch, turning so that Toph could scratch her in the right place and Toph felt her smile grow. "Just give me a minute," Toph said as she turned away and into the blankets again, but Nyla grabbed the blanket and started tugging.

"All right, I'm getting up," the blind girl told the dog as Nyla continued to pull, grabbing her blanket so that Nyla couldn't pull it off. "Go wake up Zuko."

"He's been awake for hours," she heard from her door and Toph smiled as she recognized her cousin's voice. "And he's been wondering if you had anything planned for today."

"Nope," Toph sighed as Nyla finally stopped pulling on the blanket and she flopped back onto her bed. She heard Jun move and Nyla started making her way back to the bed, but Toph knew what would happen if she didn't move and jumped out of bed onto the other side of Nyla.

"Nice move, Squirt," Jun said with a laugh, "but up means you're up. Now get ready. Your young man is trying to plan something." With that Jun and Nyla left and Toph hurried to the shower, hoping the water would be nice and hot.

It was and as she reveled in the heat, she wondered what Zuko was planning. He had mentioned the week before about getting her to like the snow, but she didn't think that could happen. She didn't understand snow, or the way it muffled and distorted sound. It was worse than water, and she had had a bad experience with water in the past, and a worse experience with snow. But she could hear and feel water, unlike snow. She shivered as she thought about the time she had got lost in the snow when she was little and pushed that thought out of her head. There were many people with her this year and someone was always with her. It was both frustrating and reassuring that someone was close by at all times. The heat started dissipating and Toph knew she had been in the shower too long and turned it off. As she pulled on warm clothes, the smell of muffins reached her. Taking a deep breath, she found the smell of blueberries there as well and hurried, dressing at lightning speed before racing downstairs.

"Well, look who's finally up," Jun said in a sarcastic voice as Toph skidded to a stop at the door.

"Yeah, as if," Toph replied with a smirk towards her cousin. "If you didn't have Nyla, you know you'd sleep in just as late."

She heard her mother and Bato sniggering at that, but Bato quickly hushed up as Toph heard Jun turn the agent's way. Toph found Zuko's breathing easily and reached out for the chair next to him, the one she had used the day before and smiled as she found it empty. She quickly claimed the chair and heard Zuko place a plate of muffins in front of her.

"Any plans?" she asked as she started cutting open her muffins.

Toph heard her father straighten up at the end of the table. "I have some business to take care of today," he said, but then paused. "If, and this is very crucial, Toph, if there is no trouble today, you may go to the party tonight if that is your wish."

Toph gaped at her father. She was astounded. He was really letting her go? She smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say, if she should say anything. Her father sat silently, as if waiting for something and Toph managed a soft, "Thank you."

"Well, if I don't see you before the party, then have a good time," Lao said before Toph heard him turn towards Jun. "And make sure they're home at a reasonable time." Toph heard Jun nod and then her father kiss Jasmine on the cheek as he departed. Toph just continued to smile, still shocked that her father was letting them go, and without many threats and reminders to behave.

"Well," Zuko started uneasily after a minute of silence. "Toph, I'll be outside when you finish. Dress warmly and make sure it's water resistant."

She turned towards him to question him, but he was gone, already walking out towards the front door. Jun was starting to laugh, though she tried to repress it and Toph scowled at her cousin before she hurried to finish her breakfast and then raced upstairs again. Once she had her ski pants on and jacket and had enough layers on that she was sure she'd be warm enough, she hurried downstairs and to the front door. Before she could touch the handle, Jun stopped her.

"This way, Toph," Jun said and started heading to the back door. Toph was surprised and curious. The back door led out to the slope and forest. Why would they head out there? She had thought that if Zuko wanted to get her to like snow, he would do some of the things she had heard about. Like build snowmen or forts or have snowball fights. Something simple and on flat ground, not a steep slope. But when she got outside, it was quiet. She turned from side to side, trying to listen for anyone, most importantly, Zuko. She heard something heading towards her, and knew it was coming from her right, slightly up slope from her and from the street, but it sounded weird, like something sliding and whistling through the snow, but different than what she knew skis sounded like. She almost jumped away, but it changed direction and she got a light spray of snow onto her legs. Jun and Bato started laughing and she started scowling until she heard another laugh coming from where the thing that had made the noise and sprayed her had stopped. She was surprised and found Zuko laughing, actually laughing and not just his usual chuckle. She scowled at him and then smirked, bending down to grab a handful of snow and threw it in his direction.

"Well, that's something else we'll work on," Zuko managed as his laugh died down and Toph knew her attempt at a snowball had fallen apart and far short of her target.

"So, what are we doing, and…what did you do?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow his way.

She heard him get up and crunch through the snow towards her, and it sounded as if he was dragging that something that did that strange whistle she had heard behind him. He stopped in front of her and the thing he was dragging stopped behind him. She raised her head towards his breathing, questioning him, and he just chuckled before he suddenly picked her up and then set her down on something hard. She reached out, and found herself on an oblong thing that was hard, probably made of wood, and flat. She reached out slowly and found rails at just the right height. Gripping them firmly, she felt herself relax a little.

"We are going sledding," Zuko said with a grin in his tone as he stepped into the contraption behind her.

"Sledding?" Toph asked, almost frozen. Sledding meant going downhill, fast, very fast. She wasn't sure if she liked this, and if this was his way to get her to like snow, she would have to inform him otherwise. But that thought ceased as he adjusted, pulling her so that her back was up against his chest and his legs were on the outside of hers. She frowned slightly at how much longer his legs were than hers, her feet resting on his shins, but then again, he was a lot taller than she was. Also, her head was resting against his chest and neck, but then again, he was very warm, even through all her layers. "Are you sure…?"

"Relax," he whispered in her ear and that made her shiver, though not from cold. His voice was calm and reassuring, just as it had been the previous morning before they had met Ty Lee, or like how it had been the week before, after he had talked to his sister and gotten into a better mood. "We'll go slow and only a small distance to start. Trust me."

Toph nodded, hearing the smile in his voice and leaned into him, though she still kept a firm grip on the rails of the sled. She heard Jun and Bato talking in a low tone about the party, but then she felt Zuko reach out and push against something as his other arm reached forward. Then they were moving, and Toph just tightened her hold on the rails as Zuko's arms encircled her to move something in front of them. They were still going slow, though they were picking up speed and then she felt him pull to their right and lean that way.

"Lean with me," he told her and she nodded, starting to lean to her right with his body behind her. The sled moved to the right and when Zuko pulled towards the left and when Toph followed his lead, they turned left. They turned farther than they had to the right and Toph felt them slow then stop.

"See, that wasn't that bad, was it?" Zuko asked as he got up, and out of the sled.

"I guess not," Toph replied, trying to control her voice and features. It had been a little scary, and she would never tell anyone that, but it wasn't nearly as bad as she had thought.

"Come on, we'll try and go a little further next time," Zuko said and she heard him breathing, just standing next to the sled. When a minute passed and nothing happened, Zuko chuckled. "You have to get out and help me get this back up the hill."

"You didn't tell me that," she replied, frowning slightly, though she was really glad he was in a better mood this morning. He just chuckled again and Toph stuck her tongue out in reply. But once she was on her own two feet, she heard him start walking uphill, dragging the sled behind and she hurried so that she walked next to him, on the other side than the sled.

"So, how'd you like it?" Zuko asked as they walked.

"Ok, I guess," she started hesitantly. "I mean, we really didn't go for long, but it wasn't so bad."

"That's the only downside to snow sports," he said with a small sigh. "The best part is going down, but it takes a long time to get back up."

"What about snowball fights?" Toph asked. "Isn't that a snow thing?"

"It is," Zuko said and she wondered why he sounded happy and yet, like he was teasing until she got a small amount of snow in her face.

"Zuko!" she cried, but he just laughed and was walking quickly ahead of her, his long legs taking him through the snow and uphill faster than her. She growled with a smirk on her face and bent down to grab a handful of snow when she felt another blob of snow hit her arm. She knew Zuko had thrown it and she charged uphill, throwing her snow at him. More snowballs rained on her, though it felt like he wasn't throwing them with any force, just enough to actually hit her. And she knew all her snow had fallen far short. She never got a satisfying thud of snow hitting clothing, just plopping onto other snow. She waited, trying to listen for snowballs heading her way and was actually able to dodge a few as she hurried up the slope. She threw snow again as he stopped and she could hear Jun and Bato laughing at them, but kept some in her left hand as her snow fell short again.

"Enough," Zuko said, laughing. "We're here and it's time for another sled ride. Unless you would rather learn how to make snowballs first?"

"No," she said with a grin, breathing heavily from trying to race uphill after him at the elevation they were at.

"Ok, get in," Zuko stated. Toph nodded and reached to where she had heard the sled stop and smiled as she found the rail. She got in slowly, feeling it as she moved and found a rope in front of her and thought that was how Zuko had steered it. Once she was in and settled, she turned her face towards her boyfriend. "Well, aren't you coming?"

"Not till you drop that snow," Zuko stated with a smile in his tone. Jun and Bato started laughing hilariously at that and Toph pouted out her lower lip, trying to look innocent. "Come on Toph, drop it, I've had that done before."

"Fine," she sighed and dropped the snow from her left hand and then Zuko was climbing into the sled behind her and warming her up again as she felt a breeze. "When did that happen?" she asked as he settled down.

"About six years ago," Zuko said as she felt him tense up behind her. He relaxed slightly and Toph wondered what was going through his head. "Mom took Azula and I up to a ski resort and thankfully my father had to work. Azula was a pain, even as a kid."

Toph nodded, sorry to have brought it up, but then Zuko leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "But right now, we need to get you to like this," he said and then reached out and pushed off again. They built up speed faster and Toph leaned with Zuko as they turned and even heard the sled brush up against a bush once. They started going much faster than what they had done the first time, and she was starting to enjoy herself when Zuko turned the sled to a stop.

"Awww," she whined as he got out. "Why'd you stop?"

"It gets steeper," Zuko said as he started pulling the sled uphill. "But if you like it that much, we'll go longer next time. Now, we hike."

Toph nodded, but followed him. "Teach me about snowballs now," she said as they walked back up towards her house.

"Can't it wait till we're up at the top?' he asked and she heard his breathing coming harder.

"No, we have a long hike, and as long as you're telling me about them, I won't try and figure it out on my own," she replied as she scooped up a handful of snow, making it look like she was about to throw it at him. She heard him turn to her and then he chuckled again.

"All right, yours are too loose. Compact it as much as you can. Grip it as if you were holding a baseball in two hands until you have enough so that when you toss it, it won't fall apart."

Toph complied and started packing the snow together in her hands until it was about the size of a baseball. She showed it to Zuko and thought she heard him nod as they continued hiking up the slope.

"Now, throw it into the air and catch it. If it doesn't fall apart, or only a little comes off, you've got a good snowball."

"Throw it? But I won't be able to catch it." Toph said, frowning.

"Only like a foot, or about six inches," Zuko said. "A small toss to make sure it's firm enough and that you will catch it."

Toph nodded and concentrated, holding her arm out. She tossed her snowball up, knowing it would only go a few inches and then caught it, and though she felt some of it fall apart, it mostly held together.

"There you go," Zuko said. Toph smirked and started to throw it at him, but caught a snowball in her arm. Her smirk grew and she threw hers at him and heard it hit him, though he tried to dodge it. She reached down and grabbed more snow, but before hers was even halfway done, another snowball had hit her leg.

"Hey! No fair!"

"Practice makes perfect," she heard him say as she heard him scoop more snow up and hurry up the slope at the same time. She just grinned and chased him, making snowballs and throwing them at him until they reached the top and were ready to go downhill again.

XXXXX

Zuko looked at himself in the mirror awkwardly. He had never really been to a real party, especially like the one they were about to go to. Sure, there was Aang's, but that was a costume party. And Homecoming was a school dance. But a party, like the one they were going to, that he had never been to. He had been invited to a couple in the past few years, but had always had to move or decline them because of who he was, and because he was on the run. And he wasn't sure how to dress for one.

"Looking good," Danny said, coming up from behind him and clasping him on the shoulder. "But loosen the shirt a little, it's just college and high school people, not a dance. And it's not like you're gonna be chasing after any girls."

Zuko frowned through the mirror at the young FBI agent, but undid the top button on his dark red shirt. He had black jeans on, and his hair was its usual mess, but at least most of it covered his scar. That way, he wouldn't get many questions about it. Looking at Danny, he saw the FBI agent in regular blue jeans with a form fitting black shirt on. The man grinned at him and then winked before disappearing and Zuko heard him head downstairs. He knew he should follow the agent, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for the party. The day had been good, and though hiking and, sometimes, running up the hill had been exhausting, it was fun to just be with Toph. She had become better at making snowballs and though her aim wasn't perfect, she was landing more hits on him than he was on her when they were called in for lunch. Both had come in, nearly soaked and their mothers had hurried them upstairs to get showers and changed before they could have a bite of food. After lunch, they had both curled up on the couch and accidentally had fallen asleep for a few hours. Nyla had woken them up in time for dinner and then it was time to get ready for the dreaded party.

And now it was time for said dreaded party. He was having second thoughts, but he knew he couldn't do that to Toph. The way her face had lit up when Lao said they could go was too much for him to back out now. He had only seen her face light up like that a few times, and he knew he wouldn't want to be the one to dash her hopes. So, with a final sigh at the mirror, he turned and headed downstairs to find everyone there and talking. His mother spotted him first and smiled at him. Zuko couldn't help but smile back softly as she got up and made her way towards him.

"You look very handsome," Ursa said as she reached out to straighten his shirt and smooth the shoulders. She started to move her hand towards his hair, but Zuko felt himself starting to frown.

"Its fine, Mom, thanks," he said and she just smiled, though he had seen a look of disappointment in her eyes for a moment.

"They grow up so fast," he heard Jasmine say and glanced over his mother's shoulder to see Toph evading her mother's touch as Jasmine tried to move Toph's bangs away from her face.

"They do, but we do have a party to get to," Jun said. "Come on, you two, to the car."

Zuko smiled once more at his mother before hugging her gently and then turned to follow Jun out. Toph had already disappeared as well as Danny. Bato and Iroh waved goodbye, but Zuko ignored them and found the car already running and Toph curled up in the back seat with her large green jacket on. He did notice she had some makeup on and tight jeans, but couldn't see anything else with her jacket covering most of her body.

"Where are the others?" Zuko asked Jun as she got into the car and started driving in towards town.

"They're there or on their way," Jun replied. "Relax and enjoy it. I'm sure neither of you have ever really experienced a party like this. A word of caution though, don't drink anything from a cup. Danny found that though the hosts are trying to keep the drinking restricted, most of the punch got spiked. So, drink as much soda as you like, but nothing from the punch bowls."

"Fine," Toph sighed. "Can you turn the heat up some more?"

Zuko saw Jun grin in the mirror, but then a wave of heat was coming their way and Toph relaxed a little. Toph scooted over to him and curled up against his side as they drove, and he just wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, waiting for them to arrive. When they did, he was surprised at how many cars were there already. And the house, it was as big as Toph's!

"You ok?" Toph asked as Jun pulled the car to a stop.

"Yeah, fine," Zuko muttered under his breath. Toph turned her face to him, questioning him and he forced a small smile, though he knew she couldn't see it. "There's a lot of people and the place is huge."

Toph just grinned mischievously, but instead of making him tense more, it strangely relaxed him. "You'll be fine. Might even get lost in that crowd. Then you would never have to hide again," she teased.

"Yeah, just make sure you don't get lost, I don't want to wade through bodies to find you," he teased back.

"Enough you two," Jun said, and when Zuko glanced at the agent, he saw a smirk on her face. "I'll be around, and I have a couple others watching the outside as well as a few inside. We've checked out all the people we could, and most are locals. A lot are from the major colleges in the area as well as a few high schools, but Ty Lee and her family are the only one's we've found from Gaoling. Now, enjoy the party and meet me at the door at eleven."

"Come on, Jun," Toph sighed. "It's already eight."

"Yes," Jun replied with a smirk. "And the longer you stay in the car, the less time you have in there. Get."

"I'm getting," Toph said, smirking back at her cousin before she opened her door.

Zuko sent one more glance to the agent, but Jun merely smiled at him and he hurried out, noticing how cold it had gotten since the sun had set. Quickly walking around the back of the car to join Toph, he saw her turning her head different directions, probably trying to gauge where things were.

"Be careful of the ice," Zuko said as he grabbed her hand and started making his way to the front door.

She nodded and walked confidently beside him as he skirted around a frozen puddle and they joined the small crowd moving into the house. He could tell Toph was getting more excited as the music started getting louder, but all he could feel was dread and the need to get away. Large groups of people made him nervous, and not just for the reason he had been on the run for so many years. He just didn't like them.

"Hey there, cutie," a guy said to Toph as they reached the front door. "And this is…?" he said, his brown eyes coming up to meet Zuko's.

"This is my boyfriend," Toph replied, smiling at the guy, but moving closer into Zuko's side at the same time.

The guy gave Zuko a once over and the scarred teen thought the guy about his age if maybe a year older, but then the guy smiled and waved them in. Toph beamed at him and then pulled Zuko into the door where they found another guy about the same age as the one they had just spoken to, but with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Take your coat, lovely lady?" he asked Toph, and Zuko almost growled at the way the guy was obviously flirting.

"Sure," Toph stated and when she pulled her hand out of Zuko's grasp to take her jacket off, Zuko hurriedly took his off as well and thrust it at the blonde guy.

"Keep them together," he stated, trying to make it sound intimidating, but not too much.

The guy frowned at him, but nodded, taking the hint, though Toph was starting to frown Zuko's way. Once the coats were off their hands, Zuko grabbed Toph's hand and pulled her further in.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Toph asked as they made their way further into the house and towards the set up bar.

"Nothing," Zuko muttered and when he glanced back, he saw Toph frowning. "Nothing, ok? What kind of drink would you like?" he asked, trying to make his tone softer.

She gave him an odd look, but then smiled when the college guy running the bar approached them. "Root beer," she said and Zuko nodded, turning to the bartender. "Two root beers," he said and the guy nodded, pulling out two cans.

"That's two bucks," the bartender stated and Zuko nodded, pulling out his wallet and handing over the cash. Jun had told him that the guys charged for drinks to help cover their costs, and he was okay with that. What he was not ok with was every guy in the place looking at Toph like she was a possible conquest. He handed Toph her drink, and she was still looking at him in an odd way when she suddenly tilted her head, her face starting to soften in a smile. All Zuko saw was a blur of pink before he found Ty Lee hugging Toph.

"Oh! You made it! You actually came! I'm so happy your dad let you! Come, on, you have to meet my sisters!" Ty Lee stated before she drew back and Zuko almost smiled as he saw the shocked expression on Toph's face. "Oh, that shirt is sooooo cute!" Ty Lee exclaimed and Zuko was drawn to actually look at Toph's shirt for the first time that evening. It wasn't just cute, it was…gorgeous. She was gorgeous. The shirt was a dark green, form fitting and long sleeved, but Toph's shoulders were bare and it looked like some dark green ribbon was holding the sleeves together as it wove through the sleeve from wrist to shoulder, showing patches of the creamy skin of Toph's arm as it created holes in the sleeves. Toph blushed and Ty Lee turned to Zuko. "You too," Ty Lee said with a sly smile and a wink. "Come on, you two, you have to meet my sisters!"

Toph just laughed as Ty Lee grabbed both their hands and started dragging them through the crowd to one of the corners of the house. Looking ahead, Zuko found five older versions of Ty Lee talking and giggling with a couple guys, and the older versions were just as pretty and well endowed as the girl in pink dragging them. The guys talking with Ty Lee's sisters ranged in age from high school to college, and all started turning their attention Ty Lee's way as the girl's sisters started waving at them. Zuko noticed that a lot of the guy's eyes darted to Toph and many stayed, including the two he had seen in the restaurant the day before. When their gazes landed on him, some frowned, but they quickly masked it and Zuko knew there could be trouble.

"Guys, this is Toph and her boyfriend, Zuko," Ty Lee said to the group once they had stopped and the scarred teen noticed the younger guys definitely frowning in his direction at that statement. "These are my sisters, Jenny," Ty Lee said, starting on their right at the youngest in purple, "Mary, Susie, Violet, and Ara."

"And I'm Chen," the guy who had been in the restaurant said, his eyes lingering on Toph. The guy glanced down and Zuko felt a wave of resentment and protectiveness cut in, but he held his tongue. He knew Toph could take care of herself and after the slight fight the day before, he didn't want that to happen again if he could help it. "These are my friends, Lou, Khan, Joe, Mike, Lee, and Cho. Welcome to my house."

The idiot sent another dazzling smile at Toph, who just smiled back. "Nice to meet ya," she said, but as Chen started to ask Toph something, Ty Lee pulled Toph's arm over to the youngest of the other sisters and started talking about fashion and Toph's shirt. Chen looked up into Zuko's face and smirked. He looked shocked for a second and Zuko found himself starting to scowl as he saw Chen's eyes look towards his scar, but then Chen was smirking again.

"Nice job on the beauty," Chen remarked as the other guys started talking with the sisters again. "Don't know how she puts up with that mark on your face though." Zuko scowled, but other than that, refused to remark or react. Chen's smirk grew. "Better be careful, or someone else could steal her."

"Like you?" Zuko asked, almost scoffing at the guy. The idiot reminded him of Hahn, and if he thought he could charm Toph with good looks and a smile, he was sorely mistaken.

"Yeah, like me," Chen said, smirking even more as he flipped some of his hair out of his face.

"Yeah, right," Zuko muttered, and turned towards the oldest sister and the two guys with her when he heard them talking about a martial arts tournament. Ara, the oldest with dark brown hair and in a low cut blue shirt and jeans, noticed Zuko listening in and waved him over.

"Hi, this is Cho and Lee," she said, introducing the two college guys. "Sorry about my sister, they're all like that about the things that interest them. You do any martial arts?"

"Yeah," Zuko replied, glancing at Toph to make sure she was ok. She was still talking with Ty Lee and the sister in purple and Zuko directed his attention back to Ara. "I study Northern Shaolin."

"Really?" Ara asked, her eyes lighting up like Ty Lee's did. "I study Dim Mak. Cho here says he's going to be reffing at an upcoming tournament down the hill in a few weeks."

"Yeah," the guys sighed, keeping his gaze on Ara in a lovesick manner before he became aware of the two guys watching him. "Uh…yeah, I used to participate for years and have become good friends with the owner of the club. I study Hung Gar. And Lee here does Northern Shaolin as well."

"Who taught you?" Lee asked Zuko and Zuko studied the guy as he was obviously being studied. The guy was a few years older then him, with brown hair and eyes and darker skin, but seemed to be well balanced. If it came to it, Zuko thought it might be an even match between the two of them, though it was hard to tell from just looking at the guy.

"My uncle," Zuko replied. "We move a lot, but he's really good."

Lee just nodded and turned back to Ara. The guy was unimpressed, but didn't state it, which made Zuko glad. The scarred teen stayed with them, as Toph and Ty Lee kept talking about fashion, though why Toph was interested, he had no idea, and at least the conversation with Ara and the two college guys was interesting, at least until Zuko found himself thirsty again, at least half an hour after his soda had gone dry.

"I'll be right back," he told Ara and was answered with a nod as he made his way to Toph. "I'm gonna grab another soda, you want anything?" he asked her.

"Sure, the same please," Toph replied, smiling at him. Zuko turned to Ty Lee. "Anything for you?"

"Oh, um, no thanks," she said, starting to look dejected. "I can get some water."

"Ah, come on Peppy," Toph said, starting to grin. "Sunshine asked; let him get something for you. He only offers to people he likes."

Ty Lee blushed, but nodded. "Sprite or something similar please."

Zuko merely nodded and made his way to the bar to get the sodas, thankful that Toph had handed him some extra cash earlier that night. At least the party wasn't that bad, and Toph being surrounded by other pretty girls had made it easier to blend in. And Ara and those guys were pretty nice and he and Lee were starting to talk about different moves they had worked out. It took forever to wade through the people that had seemed to multiply since they had arrived and took twice that to get to the bar and get the sodas. On his way back, Zuko saw Chen with another of the guy's friends talking to Toph with Ty Lee absent. Toph was starting to frown, though Chen was obviously getting more confident from the way he started inching closer to Toph and flipping some hair back occasionally.

"Look," he heard Toph say to Chen as he fought to get through the last tangle of people. "I really don't care what your 'style' is. I'm not interested."

"Ah, come on sweetie," Chen said, moving suddenly and grabbing Toph around her waist to pull her in. "How do you know if you've only had Scarface around?"

Zuko noticed in the back of his mind that Toph was starting to reprimand Chen, but he beat her to it and pulled the guy off his girlfriend and pushed him away from her, easily taking Chen's spot.

"Here you go," he told Toph, handing the soda out to her.

He expected her to take it, but she was frowning up at him.

"I can take care of myself, you know," she said, scowling.

"Yeah, you can, I was just faster that time."

"Why are you like this? Why won't you let me deal with my own issues?" Toph asked, obviously angry and Zuko knew a fight was brewing, and he had started it, again.

"I just beat you to the punch, look, I don't mean to be this way, I just am. And I do let you deal with your own issues, I just didn't want you to hit anyone."

"Oh, so my only way is violence?" Toph asked, scowling. "And yours? Your way is just the same as mine!"

"At least I'm trying to be civil," Zuko stated, setting the drinks down on a nearby table. He noticed a couple people turning their way and Chen starting to move back in, but a glare from Zuko stopped the guy.

"Civil?" Toph scoffed. "Yeah, pulling a guy off a girl is being civil. You're so moody this weekend. What's up with you?"

"I'm moody?" Zuko asked, getting angry again. "Look who's talking?"

That seemed to push Toph over the edge and she glared at him. "I am not moody! I'm not the one who switches from one extreme to the next in a second! Why are you even here? I know you didn't want to come!"

"I came with you, but if you want to deal with this yourself and don't want me here, fine, I'm gone!"

He turned and started stalking away, right past Chen and the few people who had stopped to watch the fight. Most just went back to what they were doing, but some watched him leave, parting before him as he stormed to the closest exit he could find, the back door. Stepping outside was like hitting a wall of cold air, but it felt good, calming him down a little and he went to the wood railing of the porch. He wanted to punch it, and was about to when he saw the cast on his wrist. Sighing, he just leaned on it, taking deep breaths. He knew he should have let her handle it, but that was just how he was. He hated seeing women being taken advantage of, and he knew what kind of guy Chen was. He also knew Toph and if the guy didn't take no for an answer, which Zuko suspected would happen, Toph would hurt the guy, if Zuko didn't hurt him first. So why had he still acted on impulse and let her try to deal with it? Zuko sighed and let his head fall to his hands, wondering what he could do to make it up to Toph. Especially since he had blown it, again.

"Girl troubles?" he heard form his right and turned to find Jun smirking at him from the steps leading from the porch to the ground.

"Yeah," Zuko growled. He stood and started pacing, not caring to elaborate as he tried to work the problem out himself of how he could make it up to Toph.

"You know," Jun said, coming up the stairs slowly, "both of you are really hard headed." He turned to scowl at her and she smiled more. "And also protective of those you care about."

"Yeah and that's the problem," Zuko said as he continued to pace. "She's hard headed and I'm protective."

"No, both of you are both," Jun stated and when Zuko turned to pace towards the agent again, he found her right in front of him. He quickly stopped short and backed up, frowning at Jun.

"What do you mean both?" he asked, wondering where Jun was going with this.

Jun's smirk turned into a knowing smile and she shrugged. "Just what I was saying. I've seen the way she looks at you, or looks when she's obviously thinking about you. And also what she tries to hide when she hears people talking smack about you. Don't you think she wants to protect you as much as you want to protect her? It's different, but still the same. And you both are stubborn and act on impulse frequently."

Zuko thought about it and went to the railing again, staring out into nothing. He knew Jun spoke the truth, and though it cut him deeply, he knew he had seen Toph looking concerned when people stared after him and talked amongst themselves. He knew they wondered about his scar, him, and recently, why he was lucky enough to have Toph. And the ways she had threatened Jet and wanted to beat up Hahn came into his mind. He had just thought it was to make him more at ease, or because he had gotten to Hahn first, but now that he thought about it more, he did kind of see it as Toph wanting to protect him. And it was true, they were both stubborn and acted on impulse, especially when the other was concerned. But that didn't resolve his current situation.

Jun seemed to read his mind and came to stand next to him, staring out into the cold night. "You know," she said quietly, and when Zuko glanced at her, he found a soft smile on her face as if she was thinking about something in her past. "That shows that you guys really do care for each other, that you're made for each other." She turned that smile to him. "And somehow, you'll make it up to her. Just know the reason why you both act the way you do and tell her how you feel. You'll get through it." Jun started smirking at him again. "And put a few 'I'm sorry' lines in there and she'll forgive you. You know her better than any of those jerks in there. Prove it and let her know. Now get your but back in there or I'll throw it in."

The scarred teen felt a smile tugging at his mouth and nodded to the agent, pushing himself upright off the rail and turning back towards the door and party. He turned back with his hand on the knob and saw Jun still smirking at him, but with her back leaning against the rail.

"Thanks," he muttered and she nodded, making a shooing motion and he re-entered the house. A few people talking by the door stopped and noticed that he had come in, but most went back to what they were doing, though some continued to watch him as he made his way back to the corner where Toph and Ty Lee had been. He found Toph frowning at Chen and a few of the idiot's buddies with Ty Lee standing beside her, looking worried. The guys were laughing about something, but Zuko didn't know what until he got much closer.

"Wow, no wonder she's with the dude," Chen stated for his friends, causing them to snicker. "Would have to be blind to go out with that loser…and she is!" All the friends burst out laughing at that, but some started to notice Zuko making his way towards them. He took a deep breath to calm himself and saw Toph looking like she was about to burst. Ty Lee noticed the guys starting to hush up as Chen continued to laugh at Toph and then her eyes met Zuko's. She instantly brightened and bent to whisper something in Toph's ear. Toph's jaw dropped and she turned towards Zuko, scowling at him and was about to say something to him when he reached them. He ignored Chen as the buffoon started to make a lewd comment about him and just bent down to kiss Toph soundly. She was obviously surprised, but started to resist. As Zuko drew away from her, he whispered "I'm sorry," to her before she could say a word. She stopped saying whatever it was she was going to say and closed her mouth, obviously thinking. Zuko noticed Chen was watching them shrewdly, and all his friends were watching him, wondering what he was going to do, and Zuko just smirked at they guy.

"Want to take care of him here, or out back?" Zuko asked Toph quietly, knowing she would be able to hear. Chen went pale, obviously hearing it, but his friends apparently hadn't as they either leaned forward or asked each other what he had said. Glancing at Toph, he found her frowning.

"And you would be doing what, exactly?" she asked him, tilting her head up so that he could see her eyes.

"Whatever you want me to," he replied, smiling at her. "If you need me to hold him, I can, or I can just sit back and let you enjoy it. Or…we could just ignore him and I could take you to a corner and kiss you some more."

Toph's frown disappeared and suddenly she was hugging him. Zuko just hugged her back, glad that he had found a way to make up to her.

"Really mean it?" Toph asked and Zuko barely heard it.

"Yeah, whatever you want."

She stepped back and grinned up at him before turning back to Chen. "You're an idiot," she simply told the guy before grabbing Zuko's hand and pulling him through the crowds and up the stairs. He heard the music becoming louder as they made their way up and found a large open room being used as a dance floor on the second level. Toph continued to pull Zuko until they were at the dj and then requested a song. Zuko could only smirk when he heard a fast swing song starting and pulled Toph out onto the dance floor and into a turn as it started. He spotted Ty Lee and her sisters coming up the stairs as well as a few of the guys he had seen talking to the sisters, minus Chen and his friends and they stopped and stared at them before a few of the guys started pulling some of the girls onto the dance floor as well.

As they did a turn, Toph turned her head up to him. "Look, you don't have to be so protective of me. I can handle myself."

Zuko nodded, concentrating on the turn. "I know," he said as he drew her close to him. "I just hate guys who think they can control women, whether with a look or a move, or…other ways." She started to open her mouth to say something, but Zuko just closed the distance between them and kissed her again. "I'm trying to let you handle it," he told her softly. "It's hard. I've been so…defensive, for the past couple of years."

Toph seemed to relax at that and smiled. "I know, just count to ten and then but in, ok? Promise me you'll try harder next time?"

Zuko nodded, pulling her into another turn. "Yeah, I'll try. Let's try not to fight anymore."

He was and yet wasn't surprised when she smirked at him. "Ah, have to ruin my fun?"

He chuckled at that and just tried to enjoy the rest of the dance. They stepped off to get some drinks when the song ended, and Ty Lee and her sisters and the couple of guys who had followed them gave them appraising glances, but no one brought up the fight or Chen as they chatted some more. The dj played some more swing as the night wore on and Zuko reluctantly let Lee and Cho ask Toph to dance as he asked Ty Lee and a few of her sisters out onto the floor, but whenever he got the chance, he danced with Toph. A few of Chen's friends who had seen the fight and make up tried to step into Zuko's place during a slower song, and though he was tempted to kick them out of the way, he restrained himself as Toph easily evaded them and made her way back to Zuko. They were halfway through a dance while Ty Lee danced with Lee next to them when Zuko spotted Danny and Sue looking at them.

"It's time to go, isn't it?" Toph asked, and when Zuko glanced down at her, he found her frowning.

"Yeah," he replied, bending to kiss her once more as the song ended. "But that wasn't so bad."

Toph smirked up at him as they started to exit the dance floor. Ty Lee was suddenly in front of them and looking at them with big eyes and pouting lips.

"Are you guys leaving? So soon?"

"Yeah, dad's rules," Toph sighed, "Have to leave early."

Ty Lee nodded and then hugged them both, very tightly.

"Peppy! We need air!" Toph gasped and Ty Lee released them, smiling.

"Do you think we could…hang out sometime? Back home?" Ty Lee asked Toph, glancing at Zuko occasionally.

Zuko merely shrugged but Toph smiled.

"I'd like that," the blind girl stated. "You have my number, right?"

"Yeah," Ty Lee said, starting to grin before her eyes went to something over Toph's shoulder. "I'll call you, ok?"

"Sounds good," Toph replied and was hugged once more by the girl in pink before Ty Lee swept past the couple and Zuko found Lee waiting for her to dance. Toph sighed sadly and Zuko smiled at her before wrapping his arm around her shoulder, hugging her gently.

"We'll see her soon," he told her as he started guiding her downstairs and to the door.

"Yeah, but it's back to the real world now, isn't it," Toph said, starting to frown

"Afraid so," Zuko sighed before he thought of something. "But we're not leaving till noon tomorrow. How about we go sledding again before we go."

Toph lit up again and smiled up at him. "And my dad will be off. Maybe we can pull everyone in for a snowball fight!"

"Maybe not everyone, but I'll warn you; you're going to lose."

"Hah! I will not, not with Jun on my team."

Zuko was about to reply when he found Chen at the door, flanked by a couple of the idiot's friends. He stopped and Toph did as well, starting to frown. Zuko was about to ask if the guy could move aside when Chen suddenly smiled at him, and not in a mocking way, but what seemed a genuine smile.

"Sorry about the fuss earlier," Chen said, surprising both of them. "I guess I can see why you two are together." Toph started frowning even more, and Chen continued, moving closer to Toph. "But if you ever wanna try someone else, sweetie, come see me first. Us mountain folk are different."

He gave a dazzling smile to Toph, but she just started laughing. "Sure, but you're not from up here. You live in LA. Probably in Carson, or that area, but definitely a city boy." Chen started looking shocked, but Toph just grinned and leaned in close to him.

"Your accent gives it away," she told him and then reached out, pushing the guy away from her. "And don't call me 'sweetie'."

Toph started walking past the guy and his friends and Zuko smirked at the idiot, following his girlfriend. "Gotta love a girl like that," he told Chen as he lengthened his stride to catch up to Toph and take her hand in his.

"Meant it?' Toph asked him after they had gotten their coats and started walking to Jun's car.

"Of course," he said as he bent down to kiss her cheek. "Who couldn't love you?"

She blushed and turned her head away, trying to hide it, allowing Zuko to open her door for her and then just curled up next to Zuko as they drove back to her house. They didn't say anything else but good night and a simple kiss in front of Jun, but as Zuko started making his way up to his room and bed, he thought about the weekend. It had been good, though frustrating at times. He had become frustrated with Toph and had come to like her even more, coming to learn more about her and himself, but his last comment that night was getting him to think about his feelings for Toph. Did he love her? He wasn't sure, but he was starting to look forward to spending more time with her, and even the martial arts tournament in two more weeks.


End file.
